Poems for the Very Young

Rosen's ( We're Going on a Bear Hunt ) effervescent anthology opens with rhymes about waking up and getting dressed, and closes with bedtime verses featuring the moon and stars (these last accompanied by an illustrations of a sleepy family and its dog, all cozily tucked into one bed). In between are some 100 poems; sprightly rhythms and often tongue-twisting rhymes make them ideal choices for reading aloud. Such themes as animals, food, rain and snow are playfully explored by anonymous and little-known poets, as well as by such celebrated writers as Eve Merriam, Jack Prelutsky, Eleanor Farjeon, Margaret Mahy, Robert Louis Stevenson and Langston Hughes. Rosen's inclusion of many lesser-known poems, as well as novel variations on familiar rhymes, is especially refreshing. And the book becomes a treat for the eyes as well as the ears with Graham's bustling pictures, which depict the amusing antics of lots of kids and animals. The volume's creative design arranges many of the poems around--or within--the engaging art. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)