Cock-A-Doodle Dudley

To the imaginative and amusing casts of characters he has created in his more than 30 books, this Caldecott Honor author/illustrator now adds Dudley, a ``scraggly-tailed runt of a rooster.'' Dudley's powerful early-morning crow has made him a favorite of the other barnyard animals, who believe that the rooster is responsible for making the sun come up each day. But Gunther, an ill-tempered old goose jealous of Dudley, tells the other animals that the sun's daily appearance has nothing to do with their hero. Dudley's pals rally round him, exclaiming that it's okay for Dudley to be ``terrifically ordinary.'' But Old Sol still thinks that Dudley is ``by far his favorite rooster,'' and goes to great lengths to prove it. As Peet's readers have come to expect of his work, this latest gem sparkles with good humor. It is certainly a book to crow about. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)