THE MAGIC WOOD

``The wood is full of shining eyes,/The wood is full of creeping feet,/The wood is full of tiny cries:/You must not go to the wood at night,'' runs the refrain of this poem (c. 1945) about a mysterious man whose eyes turn to fire and whose nails grow to inordinate length before the narrator says his prayers and finds himself safe ``on my father's land.'' Moser sets the nine quatrains in gold against solid black and slightly modeled, deep turquoise illustrations sparked with stars and glittering eyes. Along with the ominous hairy-faced man, there are all sorts of eerie creatures lurking among these twisted trees. Skillfully manipulating his medium and his readers, Moser provides a dramatic visual exposition of Treece's intriguing verse. (Poetry/Picture book. 5+)