HILDA HEN'S SEARCH

One can't help but compare newcomer Mary Wormell's Hilda Hen's Search to Christopher Wormell's A Number of Animals, 1993's spectacular counting book. Both feature chickens, both sport eye- catching prints (one line, the other block), both come from a Wormell, and their covers appear to have been separated at birth. While Christopher's book brings the viewer from numbers one through ten in style, Mary's follows Hilda's search for a suitable nesting site. One place is too busy, another's too noisy, or scratchy, or windy, or risky. But a dollhouse— currently untenanted—serves just the purpose for raising her brood. Mary's linocut illustrations can't compete with Christopher's Munchian block prints—their color is too washed, the line work solid but unspectacular. On the other hand, both chickens are on an important quest, and both find an answer to their needs through a well-tempered perseverance. Wormell vs. Wormell? Either would grace any shelf. (Fiction/Picture book. 2-6)