Farm Friends Clean Up

Debut artist Chessa's jaunty artwork buoy this trio of stories that tout the importance of good hygiene (""Brush Your Teeth, Wolf!""; ""Cut Your Hair, Sheep!""; ""Take a Bath, Pig!""). In the first tale, Dog is no longer afraid of Wolf (""You have such dirty teeth"") and shows him the ins and outs of using a toothbrush, with dazzling results. Sheep, meanwhile, is having a bad hair dayDshe trips over her shaggy coat, can't see to play ball and gets caught in a gateDuntil Cat persuades her to get a trim. First-time author Garelli offers practical tips (""You have to brush your teeth up and down every day,"" instruct Wolf's animal friends) for the anthropomorphized characters that border on the mundane and sometimes seem prompted by an invisible parent. But Chessa's textured brushwork and sophisticated paletteDincluding olive green, aqua and shades of ocherDprovide a fitting stage for the merry antics. Wolf stretches off of the spreads as he chases his barnyard buddies, then fiercely wrestles with great loops of toothpaste. Her animals wear childlike expressions, and youngsters will readily identify with them. Ages 3-6. (Nov.)