E I E I O

Any new edition of ``Old MacDonald'' needs a compelling novelty to justify its existence; here, the author-illustrator of Eddie and Teddy (1991) comes up with an elaborate scheme of incorporating the animals' ``quacks,'' ``moos,'' etc., in cartoon-style balloons that are cleverly integrated into the text on the verso pages where they are first introduced; on the rectos, the animals assemble in their increasing numbers to issue a comical cacophony for new readers to sort out. Clarke makes good use of repeated images of the cartoony animals in constructing his nicely designed spreads; of more interest to the kids, he offers dozens of humorous moments as the animals converse and cavort, plus a surprise ending that's both logical and contemporary. Good fun. (Folklore/Picture book. 2-7)