THE SQUIGGLE

Splendid, vibrant illustrations exhibiting a Chinese influence dance through this tribute to the imagination of one small girl. The nameless narrator, on her way to the park with her classmates and teacher, spies a piece of red rope on the ground. She waves this ""squiggle"" and lo! it's a dragon (""slither slish""), a tightrope (""snap, tah-dah""), a full moon (""ah-whoosh""), a crenellated wall (""push-a-pat""). She catches up to her classmates and illustrates all of the permutations of the squiggle for them, and they cheer her (""hoorayee!""). The gouache-and-color-marker pictures make this tale: They fairly vibrate with energy against the oatmeal-textured paper. The lines of the children's bodies are nervous and alive; the many changes Morgan visits upon the squiggle range from a spectacularly ornate dragon to a still, soothing moon. Schaefer (In the Children's Garden, 1994, etc.) strives a bit too hard in the sound effects, but for the right performer, this could be a fabulous read-aloud.