cover image Noisy

Noisy

Shirley Hughes. Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, $4.95 (20pp) ISBN 978-0-688-04203-5

A trio of small, square books initiates the British artist's Nursery Collection, featuring a lovable toddler, her baby brother and family. With humor and warmth, Hughes shows real people in richly colored scenes as they demonstrate opposites. Bathing in a steamy bathroom while Dad towels off the baby, the little girl tells us the water's hot. Dancing on the waves at the shore, holding tight to Mum, the child says, ""Seawater's cold.'' The other examples of opposites are brand-new kittens, an aging pet dog; trash and treasures; kindness and meanness; whispers and shouts, etc. When We Went to the Park offers basic counting lessons, ISBN 0-688-04204-X ; Noisy investigates a variety of sounds, ISBN 0-688-04203-1 ; $4.95 each. The set is an ideal introduction to books for extremely young boys and girls. (1224 months)