THE UGLY DUCKLING

Though Cauley trims an occasional aside for younger listeners, she doesn't stray far from standard translations of this Andersen favorite. But her pastel-colored illustrations, overlaid with black scratching and cross-hatching, read like broad cues to stock responses. Her ugly duckling is all soulful and pathetic as he bends his neck or droops his head in the face of ridicule and insult; her human and animal cast mugs and gestures throughout; and the pretty violet-colored spring that marks the swan's transformation is simply insipid. Cauley can be hearty and expressive in her obvious way; but instead of adding dimension she is as likely to interfere with the strong impression this story can make on its own.