TREES

With so much going for it, this ought to be a winner: trees are close to all good hearts; Behn is a fine poet who deserves wider recognition; and Endicott's stylized illustrations, artfully combining Japanese references and precision with bits of realistic detail—all in gorgeous, sophisticated colors—are striking. But, unfortunately, Behn's quiet, unassuming little poem (copyright 1949; ``Trees are the kindest things I know,/They do no harm, they simply grow/And spread a shade for sleepy cows/And gather birds among their boughs'') is almost lost in the grandiose art, which sports with the visual images without ever conveying the ``kindness'' that is Behn's keynote. It's a nice poem, certainly worth remembering, but this edition seems extraneous. (Poetry/Picture book. 3-8)