Little Rooster's Diamond Button

When Little Rooster finds a bit of bling ("a diamond button!"), he wants to give it to his poor, goodhearted mistress. A greedy king, however, steals the button and tries to kill the feathered hero. But the monarch is repeatedly outfoxed, so to speak, by the rooster's "magic stomach." When the king orders the rooster thrown into a beehive, for example, the rooster tells his stomach to simply eat up all the bees; when the king then tries to squash the rooster by sitting on him, the rooster regurgitates the insects ("Spit out all the bees ... and let them sting that King! " the fowl commands). The triumphant Little Rooster ultimately bestows upon his owner not only the button, but also the entire contents of the royal treasury. MacDonald (Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! ) retells this folktale with her usual verve and astute ear for what pleases a read-aloud audience. Terry's (Armadilly Chili ) acrylic paintings make a good match with their appealingly woozy feel. His googly-eyed characters look at home amid silly hysteria, while his swooping lines, radiantly brassy colors, and off-kilter perspectives capture a world where anything is possible. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)