MOON FROG

Twenty-nine new ``Animal Poems for Young Children''—deftly phrased, contagiously rhythmic, and pleasingly varied. Some, like the title poem (``froggy'' leaps high and lands astride the moon, ``proudly riding/Like a jockey on a horse'') and ``The Worm Olympics,'' are pure fantasy; humor is frequent, as in the lingering effects of a ``careless chomp'' on a ``Banana Slug'' (``Your gummy gums will never let/Your taste buds or your tongue forget''); imagination informs such descriptions as ``Cloud Sheep'' (``Leaving wisps of wool behind/Like flakes of falling snow''); there are realistic glimpses (a polar bear; a mammoth); wordplay; and a rueful soliloquy from ``The Monkey King'' (``Why me?''). Fox-Davies, known for her fine animal illustrations, provides luminous, meticulously detailed art, realistic portrayals that beautifully capture the poetry's varying moods. An attractive addition. (Poetry/Picture book. 4-10)