Obituaries : * William Pene du Bois; Noted Author of Children’s Books

William Pene du Bois, 76, whose children’s books “The Twenty-One Balloons,” about an escape from a volcanic eruption, and “Porko von Popbutton,” the tale of a teen-age boy who cares about nothing but food and weighs 274 pounds as a result of his addiction, were praised by critics around the world. Du Bois, honored by the American Library Assn. in 1948 for best children book of the year for “Twenty-One Balloons,” also illustrated his books, beginning in the 1930s. His other well-known works include “Lion,” “Bear Circus,” “Otto and the Magic Potatoes” and “Gentleman Bear.” In Nice, France, on Friday after a stroke.