Story books with pictures, or picture books with stories?; The Stories Julian Tells, Ann Cameron. New York: Pantheon. $7.95. (Ages 4-8.)

Julian is a captivating seven-year old with a vivid imagination that sometimes gets him into trouble. Young readers can identify with his difficulties -- what if that loose tooth never doesm come out? Suppose brother Huey, aged 5, grows taller than he? Sometimes it is hard to know all the answers to questions that little brothers ask, but Julian tries hard to seem omniscient. After all, it stands to reason that a catalog should be a source of cats. If Huey was disappointed when it turned out to be merely a book with pictures of flowers and vegetables, so was Julian, a little bit.

Adults will appreciate the wisdom and love with which his parents handle their precocious son.

Well-done black-and-white drawings by Ann Strugnell and charm and humor to this thoroughly delightful book.