Twinkle, Twinkle: An Animal Lover's Mother Goose

Animals photographed against painted sets star in this calendar-cute collection of nursery rhymes. Baby ducks impersonate the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker; ""Three Little Kittens"" pose adorably for the camera; and a litter of puppies look forlornly for the ""Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe."" Pink piglets are other favorite models, appearing in three of the 16 spreads. Among these domesticated breeds, Australian artist Fabian includes a kangaroo (tapped for ""Jack Be Nimble"") and a koala bear (for the less familiar ""Round and Round the Garden""). She paints the backdrops in broad strokes of muted brown, green and blue, and includes a few props, like a shiny, empty can for ""Old Mother Hubbard."" The obvious comparison is to William Wegman's Mother Goose, but this volume substitutes more conventional sweetness for Wegman's artistic edge and dark humor. Small children will benefit from playful and accommodating type design: key words and phrases are highlighted in boldface, and occasional lines of verse curve to suggest the movement described, as in the wending text of ""Goosey, Goosey, Gander."" This is a likely choice to introduce Mother Goose and to lull the nursery set into appreciation. All ages. (Oct.)