PEEPING BEAUTY

Would-be ballerina Poulette practices constantly. But when a fox claims to be a talent scout hiring for ``Peeping Beauty,'' she hesitates (``We hens never go off with strangers''). Still, he persists (``I brought this tutu from New York''); and, once her mind's made up, she can't be dissuaded by even the direst prophecies from her fellows (``You'll be on a poster one minute and on a platter the next''). Off she goes—but, fortunately, Poulette's practice has made her so muscular and agile that when the fox reveals his real intentions she topples him with a grand jetÇ and—after threatening to use him for chicken feed—sends him ignominiously packing. This refreshing reversal is served up in prose that's almost as exuberant as Auch's vibrant illustrations of the brashly stylized chicken swooping and swirling in a gorgeous array of harmoniously clashing colors. Grand fun. (Picture book. 4-8)