MICHAEL FOREMAN'S MOTHER GOOSE

From a talented illustrator, a lush but uneven collection with a wealth of verse (over 200 rhymes, many unfamiliar), a delightful introduction by Iona Opie, and notably creative matching of rhymes to create composite double spreads (e.g., the old woman under the hill and the grand old Duke of York). The toddler chasing a feather across the opening pages is entrancing; the concluding pages of sunset fading into deepening blue are lovely. But few of the renditions offer new insights or memorable humor—Humpty Dumpty is ordinary compared to Brooke's; a pallid ``Hey Diddle Diddle'' makes one yearn for Caldecott, etc. Still, comprehensive and often attractive. Index. (Folklore/Picture book. 2-8)*justify no*