I See the Moon, and the Moon Sees Me--: Helen Craig's Book of Nursery Rhymes

The 54 nursery rhymes collected here fairly crackle with energy in Craig's rousing treatment. Up to four poems cohabit a spread, and pages are jammed with panel illustrations. Take nothing for granted: some panels, for example, progress from right to left, others, vice versa--and all illustrations seem designed to suggest a maximum of activity. Castles, huts, the residential shoe of the legendary old woman and other homes are shown in cutaway, their occupants bustling about and their furnishings lovingly depicted, frequently in quasi-historical styles. If a certain logic guides the groupings (for example, three poems featuring mice share one festive setting), whimsy inspires the art. Old King Cole uses his pipe and his bowl to blow soap bubbles; a gremlin bedevils Jack and Jill after they fetch their pail of water. The abundance of detail infuses this collection with the inexhaustible atmosphere of a first-rate carnival. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)