MOON BEAR

The once-audacious Frank Asch is hardly to be seen in this mild little pleasantry about a bear who fancies himself the moon's protector--doesn't the honey he puts out each night make the shrinking moon grow big again? But when Bear learns the truth and bemoans not being needed, one of the birds that have been slyly eating the honey says consolingly, ""we still need you."" Crisp, disarming pictures--Asch is still a master at expressive layout and delineation--but, beyond Bear's understandable distress at seeing the moon ""disappear,"" a feeble, sticky story.