NOAH'S ARK

An illustrator known for the innovative use of vibrant color and boldly informal, childlike depictions in her board books and memorable Mother Goose (The Little Dog Laughed, 1990, ALA Notable) offers a very simple, straightforward retelling (``God wanted to punish the wicked people, so he said to Noah, `I shall make a flood of water and wash all the wicked people away...' Noah worked for years and years and years...''). Using her customary simplified, roughly shaped figures and richly saturated colors, Cousins shows Noah building the Ark and the animals coming in ``two by two,'' concluding with disembarkation. An excellent introduction, without the imaginative humor of, say, Spier's edition, but with a clarity of language and an outstanding graphic design that are sure to appeal to the youngest. (Picture book. 2-6)