The Rock-A-Bye Baby Book and Cradle Set

Remove a layer of styrofoam and the slipcase--thanks to its curved-bottom end panels--becomes a cradle; inside are nestled 10 tiny board books whose brightly hued spines make up a rainbow. The novelty ends here, however, and children will probably prefer to play with this set than to read the individual volumes, which are close to standard-issue. Williams's subjects range from ``Bedtime'' and ``Bathtime'' to ``Food,'' ``Home'' and ``Outdoors,'' and his approach follows the conventional: simple compositions, clear colors, one word/one picture. African American and white toddlers, depicted with only the vaguest suggestion of facial characteristics, grin at the reader in a variety of attitudes in ``Faces'' (awake, happy, hungry, messy); model their wardrobes in ``Clothes'' (from basic diaper all the way to rubber boots and umbrella) and tour their anatomies in ``My Body'' (tummy, back, legs, feet). Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs. (Oct.)