Ship

``Ship sails, Tug beside, Salt air, Early tide''--using only two words per page in these board books, Demarest (When Cows Come Home) describes things seen and felt during a plane or ship ride, at the same time creating a pleasingly rhythmic, dreamy mood. Demarest's bold palette and unusually fluid lines lend a sophisticated, almost abstract air, furthering the impressionistic quality of the words. For example, the color of the ocean changes from page to page in Ship, from green to blue to purple. In Plane, the illustration for ``Lake reflects'' is a small, black shape on a yellow-and-blue lake--a mysterious shadow that belongs to either the plane or the tip of a mountain. Very much a flight of fancy, this inventive melange of color, shapes and language may spur questions from youngsters beginning to wonder why the sky is blue, but the poetic trip launched here will let their imaginations soar. Ages 1-3. (Sept.)