DOCTOR KNICKERBOCKER AND OTHER RHYMES

In an attractive counterpoint to the Opie/Sendak I Saw Esau (1992), Booth offers a broad, large-size collection of schoolyard rhymes grouped by period: ``Out Loud, Right Now!'' (contemporary); ``Mama Said It and I Say It Too'' (the largest, which by rights could include much from the first group); and ``Echoes from Long Ago.'' By their nature, these chants, taunts, and jokes have appeal; Kovalski adds to it with her detailed b&w illustrations of scamps and mischief-makers, combining bits of 19th-century woodcuts with her own lively crosshatched pen drawings and adroitly arranging several rhymes and images on each page with much of the text hand-lettered in cartoon-style balloons or incorporated into the art. Kids will love finding old favorites and picking up some new ones. Indexes by first line and by 12 ``types''—''autograph,'' ``skipping,'' ``superstitions,'' etc. (Folklore/Picture book. 8-11)