Claire and the Friendly Snakes

Snakes may be menacing and elusive in the real world, but the heroine of this exuberant picture book prowls for certain domestic species that actually relish discovery. Claire, freckled, toothless and wild-eyed, spots her first reptile in the bathtub--a chrome shower-hose with disk joints that allow it to bend and slither underwater. Then, draped across a sewing machine, another ophidian distracts the hunter--this one is yellow, with black ``stripes'' on its back that measure fractions of inches. Suddenly snakes are everywhere--the coiled red telephone line whose ``head'' nestles against Claire's brother's ear; a grandmother's serpentine knitting project; even the family cat's tail. But when Dad calls, ``Lunchtime!,'' Claire and her menagerie call it quits, and the rambunctious household turns neat, still--and boring. That is, until Dad presents a mammoth bowl of ``thin spaghetti snakes.'' First-time author Tate's dynamic narration and dialogue are augmented by Franklin's free-spirited, high-energy illustrations. The book issues an implicit invitation to the hunt. Ages 3-7. (June)