Wedding Birds

Winged wedding guestsparrot, peacock, nightingalewho've gathered to celebrate the nuptials of a blackbird and thrush, fill the pages of Ash's adaptation of a German folk song. Told in a lilting rhyme meant to be sung (a small score is included as a preface), the story moves from one bird to another as each contributes to the fanfare: ""The Dove, who has composed a sonnet,/ Sings, then hands the bride her bonnet.'' The merriment is quelled by a lack of boisterous movement within the pictures; we see close-ups of the cast of characters but the imagery seldom expands to include the entire party or its whereabouts. Some young readers may find the scenes jumbled. Ages 48. (April)