If a picture is worth a thousand words, the illustrations in these beautiful books must be worth millions. Check them out of your local library and read them with your youngster. The "view" is spectacular!

* Eric Carle, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Philomel 1969) and other books. Carle's modern, painterly illustrations are matched here by a fascinating text.

* Helen Cooper, "The House Cat" (Scholastic, 1993). Positively luminous illustrations make cats seem even more magical than they really are.

* C.R. Erkel, "The Farmhouse Man" (Putnam, 1994), with beautiful, realistic illustrations by Michael Erkel. Exciting story and breathtaking illustrations to go with it.

* "The Boy Who Held Back the Sea," illustrated by Thomas Locker (Dial, 1987). Very realistic, Whistler-like illustrations tell this traditional story.

* Brian Wildsmith, "Python's Party" (Oxford, 1987). British whimsy with clever, colorful illustrations of animals.

-- From "Raising a Reader," by Paul Kropp

Pub Date: 06/09/99