A GIRAFFE ON THE MOON

At first glance, this American debut by a skillful British painter looks like a rather pointless collection of incongruities (``I didn't expect to see...a snowman on a very hot day...an elephant in a salad sandwich,'' etc.), even though the scenes are amusingly contrived and the attractive borders, composed of items that are (or might have been) in the illustrations, provide a matching game plus much to discuss. But the last pages put everything in a new light: ``I can see anything in my dreams''—a sleeping child is pictured surrounded with books and toys that have been transformed in that dream world. The carefully designed illustrations are a pleasure; the concluding surprise is sure to delight the picture book audience. (Picture book. 3-6)