A Rattle of Bones: A Halloween Book of Collective Nouns

Kipling West. Orchard Books (NY), $15.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-531-30196-8

A babble of words muddles this holiday romp cum teaching tool, which splices a rhyming text with a set of collective nouns. As two trick-or-treaters wander ""among the trees where creatures roam,"" menacing phrases (""a leer of jack-o'-lanterns,"" ""a parliament of owls"") float up around them in hand-lettering and disrupt the narrative. The collective nouns are colorful, more so than the nominal plot, and the two elements don't cohere. The smooth acrylic paintings offer a sophisticated palette and sharp perspectives, but otherwise traffic in conventional imagery. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)

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