The Poombah of Badoombah--a powerful, energy-infusing sorcerer--makes pots leap out of clay and fabulous carpets fly off the loom, but he also gleefully sends "a pudgy rajah swirling to the public bath" and a "nervous dervish whirling down a curvish path." One day, the magical Poombah goes too far: he pulls the elephant right out from under a government official and his howdah, which is a fine howdah-you-do. The city people are furious, and the Poombah, now a pariah, flees to the countryside to grow Badoombah beans, and, as we all know, "a bowl of Badoombah beans or two is all one needs for a hullabaloo." Dee Lillegard, author of The Wild Bunch, poombahs a wildly ebullient rhyming story, and Kevin Hawkes"s rich, full-bleed paintings of swarming street bazaars in India explode with color and excitement. Explanatory notes, cleverly presented, define Indian terms such as howdah and nabob, and make-believe ones as well, including Poombah ("to impart, or infuse with, extraordinary energy") and Badoombah beans, Lillegard"s son"s invention. Kids will love this bouncing ride through the streets of India, with the contagious joie de vivre of the playful Poombah. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson