CRINKLEROOT'S VISIT TO CRINKLE COVE

            In his 12th appearance, Crinkleroot, the Santa Claus of the natural world, takes Walking Stick on a hike from the woods down to the lake to search for Sassafrass, a small orange snake he's befriended. Crinkleroot reads signs, discovers tracks, and identifies animals along the way, leading readers to an old fishing shack for a look at wrens and birdhouses, through a marshy wood where muskrats swim and orioles weave nests, past a great blue heron, and under some lily pads. At Crinkle Cove, Sassafrass is discovered napping in a rowboat. The jolly woodsman is forever on the lookout, his eyes open in every habitat, and young readers who have identified backyard birds and tracked wildlife alongside Crinkleroot before will be glad he's back.  (Picture book. 3-7)