Mother Goose Remembers

Beaton (One Moose, Twenty Mice) stitches and appliqu's her way through 46 nursery rhymes, including a few less familiar treasures most notably, ""There Was an Old Woman Up in a Basket,"" about a senior citizen who goes to great heights to sweep cobwebs from the moon. She exquisitely and inventively crafts each picture from felt, antique fabrics and bric-a-brac. In ""I Had a Little Nut Tree,"" for example, the tree is made from eyelet fabric and dotted with tiny wooden beads. Beaton's work evokes the cozy domesticity and unhurried days of a bygone era, and many adults may find it refreshing to find a Mother Goose untainted by zingy modern ironies. But unlike How Big Is a Pig (reviewed below), the sewn illustrations don't quite transcend their inherently decorative quality. Beaton seldom plays with perspective, perhaps because the design necessitates that she devote space within each illustration to incorporate longer texts. While ambitious, this compendium unfortunately fails to find new visual energy in these old chestnuts. All ages. (Aug.)