Now It Is Morning

An appealing red rooster announces the sunrise on the cover of this arrestingly illustrated concept book comparing morning on the farm, in the town and in the city. The text tends toward the prosaic, with characterizations to match: ""Now it is morning. The sun is coming up./ It's a brand-new day on the farm."" The farm children feed the animals and bring in the breakfast eggs. In town, ""Dad calls to the children and lets the dog out. Mom makes breakfast for all,"" and the children hurry to ride the school bus. In the city, ""Mommy leaves for work,"" and the sitter takes a girl ""to the park where the children play."" Whitman's (The Night Is Like an Animal) fuzzy-edged watercolors, incorporating fibrous paper-collage elements, delight the eye with their vibrant colors and design. A bridge into the city is a winding ribbon of purple; the suburban parents sleep under a blanket that glows with the colors of the sunrise. Colors pool together, creating shimmering landscapes and fantastical interiors--they float readers gracefully to the end. Ages 2-4. (Apr.)