THE CATARACT OF LODORE

Oddly enough, Mordecai Gerstein's lovely, comical edition of this onomatopoeic poem—in which a poet laureate describes one of Britain's waterfalls to his children—came out just last fall. Catrow, a political cartoonist, brings a different style to his witty illustrations—his caricatured figures (who also careen down the falls with the poet's cascading verse) are depicted in more precise detail, contrasting with his idyllic impressionistic backgrounds. With humor that is broader and less gentle than Gerstein's, the flavor here is different enough to make an interesting contrast. Both books are worthy of purchase; if a choice must be made, Gerstein's art is more imaginative and more skillful and coherent as illustration. (Poetry/Picture book. 5+)