Something to Crow about

From the start, the newly hatched chick Randall isn't able to do things quite as well as Cassie: his friend can scratch, strut, cheep and find worms better than Randall can. Even in appearance, the chipper chicks are different: Cassie's pink polka-dot bow is neatly tied around her neck, while Randall's blue-striped bow doesn't stay tied for long. (Poor Randall didn't even do a very tidy job of hatching--he has bits of eggshell all over him.) The chicks grow up, and when Cassie lays an egg, Randall is so frustrated--here's something else Cassie excels at--that he lets out a loud, familiar cry: ``Cock-a-doodle-doo.'' Cassie is impressed, particularly when she discovers this is something that she can't do. In the end, the two acknowledge that being different is ``really something to crow about. '' With a suitably simple text and cheery pictures, Lane teaches this basic lesson of individuality very effectively. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)