Higgle Wiggle: Happy Rhymes

Fans of Blackberry Ink will delight in Merriam and Wilhelm's second collection of bouncy, joyful poems for preschoolers. Merriam's appealing verses contain a wealth of rhythms, rhymes and action: a pair of boots go ``clomping / stomping along''; a child describes a cat that ``slithered and stretched . . . quivered and prowled''; and a bath which begins with ``slipple slapple slubble'' ends when the water ``guggle uggle gluggles'' down the drain. Wilhelm sprinkles his stark white pages with a garden of children and winsome stuffed animals (a plump Piglet-like charmer appears frequently with his teddy bear). Perfect for counting and finger rhymes or group activities, these sunny verses will offer youngest readers an easy entry into the joy of wordplay and imagination. Whether they are about mashed potatoes (``mashed potato clouds, / mashed potato moon, / scoop it all up / with a giant's spoon'') or about dancing (``dance out of bed, / dance on the floor, / dance down the hallway, / dance out the door''), these short poems reflect a world of mirth and merriment. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)