FLIT, FLUTTER, FLY!

From Karla Kuskin's ``Bugs'' to Margaret Wise Brown's, here are 20 ``Poems About Bugs and Other Crawly Creatures,'' many of them already familiar. The selections range from lyrical to doggerel; what they have in common is the popular appeal of their subject and a fresh, childlike point of view. Palagonia's realistic art, colorful if a bit stolid for such ethereal creatures as dragonflies, is enhanced by the open format and generous use of white space. A succinct verse by Benjamin Franklin (``What is a butterfly?/At best/He's but a caterpillar/Dressed'') is a nice touch, surprisingly revealing of its author's interests and sense of humor. Useful. (Poetry/Picture book. 4-8)