I Love You: A Rebus Poem

For this sweet valentine to youngest children, Marzollo (the I Spy series) and MacDonald (Alphabatics) join forces in a combination concept book and rebus. Word pictures substitute for the verse's nouns--and for the words ""I love you,"" which end each of the four quatrains. Marzollo's natural instinct for preschoolers' view of the world is in evidence: ""Every bird loves a tree,/ Every flower loves a bee,/ Every lock loves a key,/ And I love you."" The pairings (one per spread) will be immediately recognizable to youngsters, and the closing ""I love you"" refrain pictures snuggling pigs, a mother and baby koala bear and courting rabbits. MacDonald's images of a wave hugging a whale, and of two ducks in flowered bathing caps racing into a lake, are especially winning. Ages 2-6. (Jan.)