BIRTHDAY RHYMES, SPECIAL TIMES
edited by Bobbye S. Goldstein & illustrated by Jose Aruego & Ariane Dewey
The title sets the tone—32 lighthearted poems celebrate parties, presents, and being the special person of the day; also included are a few non-children who might have birthdays—a mother, a grandfather clock, the moon. The verse (from such familiar voices as Ciardi, Farjeon, and Clyde Watson) ranges from average to pretty good, but the illustrators' exuberant animal characters are unusually appealing. Silhouetted against white or intense color, the comical, expressively stylized creatures playfully embroider each simple verse. Some of the imaginative visual conceits are delightful—a blue porcupine with 21 of its waving quills topped by some of the jaunty candles that are a motif throughout; a joyous little kangaroo strewing posies across the title spread (she later puts them in her mother's pouch, making a gorgeous bouquet). Useful and fun. Index. (Poetry/Picture book. 3-7)