A Little Pigeon Toad

Following up his successful books on homonyms ( The King Who Rained , A Chocolate Moose for Dinner and The Sixteen Hand Horse ), Gwynne allows a bewildered girl to narrate some perplexing developments. ``Grandma says our four bears came from Scotland,'' is paired with a picture of four bears in kilts, doing a Highland fling. Manholes, naval oranges and a coat that is ``a little thread bear,'' are just some of the amusing twists of the language that Gwynne illustrates with the literal-minded images of a child. The pictures are surprising, and revealed in a rapid-fire pace, until the little girl concludes ``Yarns like these are hard to swallow!'' as she spools spaghetti-like strands of wool around a fork. This is fun and inventive fare for all ages. Ages 6-10. (September)