Big red barn

Ages 2-5. Brown's melodic text, originally published in 1956 with different illustrations, is beguiling, while its subject-- the big red barn that houses a menagerie of animals and their offspring-- will have instant appeal to young children. The rhythmic lines paint a picture of barnyard tranquility, where the animals play ``all day / In the grass and in the hay'' until night falls, when ``only the mice were left to play, / Rustling and squeaking in the hay, / While the moon sailed high / In the dark night sky.'' Bond's newly added drawings have an appealing simplicity that suits the story. Particularly effective are her hushed nighttime panoramas of the barnyard, which successfully evoke the fascinating stillness of a country night. A welcome reprise. -- Denise Wilms