BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES

Fifty or so poems, grouped as the title suggests and varying in difficulty but generally of high quality, from traditional rhymes and familiar masters (Coleridge, Tennyson) to challenging and intriguing modern works (Sandburg, Philip Larkin). Touches of humor lighten the mix (Ogden Nash); since many entries are not from ``children's'' poets (though they will appeal to able children), there's much that will be new to readers. Cartwright's glowing stylized illustrations appear on virtually every page. An unusually handsome volume that fulfills its creators' aim of ``portray[ing] a living world [of] vigor and vitality,'' where ``William Blake's tiger and Ted Hughes' jaguar meet in our terror and delight.'' Glossary (19 obscure words); index. (Poetry. 6+)