Look Once, Look Twice

Declaring that ``patterns are everywhere in the natural world,'' Marshall's (My Camera at the Zoo) abecedarian puzzler challenges readers to a game of visual identification. Against solid-color pages, a small portion of an object (bird, animal, flower, etc.) is glimpsed in the shape of the first letter of its name; turning the page, the entire subject is depicted and identified. Thus, a pastel-striped ``r'' is revealed as part of a rainbow; a red, black-spotted ``l'' is a ladybug; a black-and-white, wavy-striped ``z'' is (what else?) a zebra, etc. So far, so good. Difficulty arises, however, when certain subjects-either because of their unfamiliarity (unicornfish, kingfisher) or the artist's obfuscation or both-are nearly impossible to identify from the visual clue. Even the most astute observer would be hard pressed to spot a macaw from a yellow ``m'' marked with jagged green and blue striations. That these are painterly renditions instead of photographs increases the possibility of confusion; that the renderings are often dull weakens the volume as a whole. Worse, Marshall's work would appear to have outlived its attraction after a single viewing. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)