ROOSTER CROWS

When Rooster boasts that he makes the sun rise every morning, Bluebird tells him he's wrong: ``The dawn chorus of birds does. I sing with them, so I should know.'' This ruffles Rooster's feathers so badly that he boasts that he can make the sun rise at midnight. The challenge is accepted, and in the middle of the night, a crowd gathers to listen to Rooster crow the sun up. His last mighty ``Cockle-doodle-doo'' calls forth a shooting star that lights up the whole sky, scaring Bluebird and Rooster into wishing they hadn't taken things quite so far. When the sun rises the next morning, Rooster, Bluebird, and the dawn chorus crow and sing it up together. As in her earlier books (Solo Plus One, 1992; Three Bags Full, 1993), Scamell's text is loosely based on a moral: Beware of boasting. But she doesn't hit you over the head with it, and her story moves along crisply. Riches's illustrations are beautiful and a little strange, which is effective here—especially when the shooting star appears, frightening all who see it. An imaginative book with strong characters that are ideal for dramatic play. (Fiction/Picture book. 3+)