Bloomsbury

Children's Bookwatch, Feb, 2005

Bloomsbury

175-5th Ave., New York NY 10110

www.bloomsbury.com/usa

Four wonderful new presentations are recommended picturebook pics for the young. Axel Hacke's A Bear Called Sunday (1582349290, $14.95) requires good reading skills or parental assistance but provides an enchanting story of a boy and his believed bear. The boy loves his bear--but does the silent, stiff bear love him back? There really is an answer for the boy in this gentle story. Margaret Atwood's Rude Ramsey And The Roaring Radishes! (1582349509, $16.95) receives Dusan Petricic's fun drawings as it tells of revolting relatives and a quest for independence. Sick of rules, Rude Ramsey and his rat strike out for freedom. Good reading skills required. There's lots of animal noises to enjoy in The Noisy Farm by Marc McGee (1582348790, $15.95), from snorts and hoots to squeaks and creaks. A very simple picturebook with zany drawings by Leonie Shearing illustrate animal noises at their best. Michael Rosen's Howler (158-2348510, $15.95) is the perfect companion to ROVER, presenting a hilarious story of a puzzled dog trying to understand a new baby in the house. The baby 'Howler' takes up everyone's attention: is Rover doomed to take second chair? Neil Layton's drawings are simple and engaging, while the plot needs no prior familiarity to prove inviting.