Morning, Noon, and Night: Poems to Fill Your Day

In their picture book debut, editor and artist have created a poetry anthology that seems more appropriate as a basal reader than for sharing at home. These ""Poems to Fill Your Day"" are, according to the table of contents, organized in five categories--Waking Up, On the Way to School, During the School Day, etc.--but no section headings are found within the book itself. Overall, the substance and linguistic deftness are thin, despite upbeat verses from such worthies as Langston Hughes, Myra Cohn Livingston, Charlotte Zolotow and Mary Ann Hoberman. Repetitious and simplistic verses--e.g., Kalli Dakos's ""You're writing,/ You're writing,/ I'm glad you've learned how./ You're writing/ You're writing,/ You're an author now""--far outnumber more challenging poems. Doniger's bright collages, cut from colored papers and painted with watercolor and gouache, are energetic but not distinctive; and the book's extra-large typeface and layout seem specially designed for first graders, whose textbooks the volume greatly resembles. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)