Poems of A. Nonny Mouse

With tongue firmly in cheek, Prelutsky prefaces this comical collection of traditional and anonymous verses by elucidating the trials and tribulations of A. Nonny Mouse. Ms. Mouse--obviously ``no ordinary rodent''--claims that a typographical error caused all her ``little verses'' to be printed under the wrong name, a mistake Prelutsky rectifies with the publication of this book. Although many of these verses will be familiar to young readers (such as ``how much wood could a woodchuck chuck?''), the conceit of Ms. Mouse's plight is so clever, and Drescher's illustrations, as usual, are so strikingly original, that the work surely can be forgiven its repetition. Indeed, the artist seems to have outdone himself with these intricately detailed surrealistic drawings that perfectly capture the poems' zany spirits. Children will enjoy spotting Ms. Mouse on every page as she exhorts Drescher's droll characters in their wacky pursuits and smiles serenely at a world where boots have sharp teeth and a dog's tail turns into a snake. Ages 6-12. (Nov.)