Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!: A Traditional English Nursery Rhyme

Harding gives a boisterous call to rise and shine with her first picture book. Taking the classic nursery rhyme that begins ``Cock-a-doodle-doo / My dame has lost her shoe,'' Harding finds ample room for an offbeat interpretation. Crowing roosters cavort with the lost shoe and the master's lost fiddling stick, too, until the items are reunited with their rightful owners in a rousing finale. But the real highlights here are the highly textured, earth-toned paintings, created with watercolors and bleach on handmade paper. While the almost somber color scheme and slightly stylized figures may not hold the attention of youngest readers, this volume signals a promising debut. Ages 2-6. (Feb.)