Days Like This

James (Leon and Bob) here collects and illustrates 19 brief poems that capture the rhythm of diverse days and emphasize the power of a child's imagination. The spontaneous quality of the watercolor and pen-and-inks recalls the work of James Stevenson, and the artwork runs the gamut from spreads bursting with sunshine and endless stretches of sand to full-page cityscapes in effectively claustrophobic compositions of neutral and gray tones. The opening spread opposite a poem called ""The Adventurers"" (one of three James penned himself), introduces this contrast within the book with a sprawling illustration of three children foraging through a waist-high field, bounded to one side by towering city buildings. Other poets, including Eve Merriam, Charlotte Zolotow and Ogden Nash, cover subjects that span sleeping under the stars, bouncing on a bed and a child's musings on his first day at school (""...I don't think I'll go back,"" wryly concludes this endearing entry by Rod Hull). Readers will likely turn to the final page with the hope that there will be more days like this. Ages 7-12. (Mar.)