Where's the Dog?

It is only Lobel's artwork that elevates these four board books above the average. The prose is leaden and the verse graceless: ""There's the guinea pigsoft, brown, and not too big,'' or ``This dog is a pet and she's soggy and wet.'' A few more pages reveal where the animals live or ways they drink or eat. Each book ends with a lift-up flap revealing the title character's whereabouts. Lobel's style is free and spirited; he uses sunny colors in charmingly framed illustrations. Ages 1-4. (June)