Here Comes Henny

Smart in her lavender blazer, pearls and straw hat, Henny comes carrying her ``sacky'' on her back (``pickabacky''), walking ``back and forth and forth and backy.'' The hen then prepares for a picnic: ``See her pick pick pick a snicky. / See her pack pack pack a snacky. / See her put a snicky-snacky / in her backpack picnic sacky.'' But this does not please her three, sweater-clad chicks, who will not eat a snicky-snacky: ``WE DEMAND A SNACKY-SNICKY.'' Unfazed, Henny eats the entire snicky-snacky herself. Soon after, the hungry chicks, realizing that ``maybe we have been too picky,'' fill their napping mother's backpack to overflowing--with snacky-snicky--which they then settle down to enjoy. Pomerantz's ( The Tamarindo Puppy ; One Duck, Another Duck ) appealingly silly, tongue-twisting rhyme makes this a rollicking read-aloud. And, given the verse's repetition and the book's large typeface, it is also a good choice for those just beginning to sound out words by themselves. Henny's snicky-snacky and the chicks' snacky-snicky--various fruits and vegetables--are clearly portrayed by Parker ( Working Frog ; Paul Revere's Ride ) in crisp, uncluttered watercolor, colored-pencil and black-pen art. Ages 3-up. (Aug.)