ANIMAL HULLABALOO: A Wildlife Noisy Book

The subtitle of this British import is a bit of a misnomer; the book begins with familiar barnyard and domestic animals at sunrise, then progresses to the African rainforest and savannah, to maritime regions and the Australian outback, and ends in North America at nightfall. There's no story, just the various noises made by the animals as they vocalize or move about their business, all cleverly reduced to print: Guinea pigs go ""Wheep, wheep,"" a chimp cries ""Hu-hu-hu hu-aa-aa-aa-a,"" gulls say ""Key-ark, key-ark ark ark!"" and a snail goes ""slither."" A tiny gnat (""eeeeeeeeeeeeeee"") provides continuity. Expertly portrayed in fine pen and watercolor, the animals are shown to be an amiable lot; all are identified at the end of the book. A consultant from the London Zoo advised on the animal noises; Jemima Lumley, in a calligraphic tour de force, provided distinctive lettering for each of the 100+ sounds. Fun for little ones, especially just before or after a zoo trip.