The Clock Shop

The clockmaker not only keeps everyone's clocks in perfect working order, he is also ``an expert in making up time. He collects all the wasted seconds and hours, and stores them on a shelf. . . . By waking early in the morning he saves nearly half an hour, which he puts in a jar.'' This inventive notion is illustrated in intense chalk-like colors on large, well-designed pages. Stuffed with visual gags, the pictures are crowded with an orderly jumble of shapes that will please younger children. And older readers will find the concepts of time and time-keeping provocatively presented. Ages 3-up. (Sept.)