ONE RED ROOSTER

A color and counting book that marks a debut for both author and illustrator. The rhymed text (""Nine yellow chicks went peep peep peep/ And ten pink pigs fell fast asleep"") serves its purpose well enough; but the boldly stylized illustrations, with the saturated colors and simple forms that are especially appropriate for very young children, are quite handsomely designed and of greater interest. The animals accumulate on successive pages, giving older preschoolers plenty of practice counting (and an intriguing puzzle with, for example, the heap of pigs). Not outstanding, but useful and attractive.