Whiskers and Paws

As poetry anthologies for children proliferate, customers are of necessity becoming more selective; this slight entry into the burgeoning field faces keen competition. Eleven brief--none longer than nine lines--animal verses comprise this collection; some are of anonymous authorship, and some have been anthologized previously. They are all composed with deceptive simplicity and possess a quiet charm that will no doubt grow on young listeners. For those who had been curious, for example, ``The secret of the polar bear / Is that he wears long underwear.'' Elsewhere, a bemused earthworm watches as Beatrix Potter's Diggory Delvet ``digs and he delves-- / You can see for yourselves.'' Julian-Ottie's bucolic watercolors have a comforting, old-fashioned warmth that nearly overshadows the rhymes. Ages 2-6. (May)