MONSTER MISCHIEF

After four fiends contribute live animals to a "monster stew," a baby imp tips their cauldron: "Spider, lizard, frog and bat—/ all hurried off, skedaddle-scat./.../ On Halloween, for trick or treat,/ five monsters had no stew to eat." In low-contrast watercolors, Rosenberry (When Vera Was Sick) pictures the ungainly chefs with bloated torsos and clawlike toes. Jane, author of the Winky Blue series, predictably placates the hungry monsters with holiday sweets. Better mischief is brewing this season. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)