Why Not?

Revisiting the rustic landscape favored in her Hilda Hen books, Wormell introduces an engaging, feisty kitten named Barnaby. To each of his mother's warnings (""Don't annoy the sheep, Barnaby!"") he replies, ""WHY NOT?"" and quickly learns exactly why (""Because I'll annoy YOU!"" snorts the ram). The feckless feline makes his way across the barnyard: to escape a rooster, he climbs a tree only to be chased by a crow into the sheep's pasture--until finally he gets stuck under a hay bale. As all the animals gather to help him, the ever independent Barnaby manages to free himself, then scampers home for supper. This is an altogether agreeable tale--one whose theme should coax a chuckle from parents in particular--and Wormell relates it with impeccable timing. Her graceful woodcuts, marked by a linear quality as strong and solid as the stone walls that define the farmyard, present a vigorously appealing contrast; the bold black outlines of the bucolic images nicely counterpoint the soft, natural palette of her watercolor wash. Another feather in Wormell's cap. Ages 2-6. (Mar.)