A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry...

A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry (Gulliver Green/Harcourt Brace Javanovich: $14.95). The animals at this settler’s village by New England’s Nashua River certainly seem to be enjoying the good life, but the water-powered sawmill on the left is a sign of trouble to come. Soon, tree trunks are floating down the Nashua and paper mills are polluting it with red, green, blue and yellow dyes. One woman has hope, though, of making the Nashua so clear that pebbles once again glimmer from the riverbed.

A Million Fish . . . More or Less by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Dena Schutzer (Knopf: $14). When two old storytellers come rowing out of the gauzy river fog to warn Hugh Thomas that “the Bayou Clapateaux is a mighty peculiar place,” Hugh just smiles: “Y’all are just funning -- right?” Then, when he manages to catch nearly a million fish that day he knows there must be magic in the air. But Atoo the alligator decides that a million fish may be a few too many for on elittle boy. Staring at him with mean yellow eyes, the ‘gator hisses: “And what’s for me and mine to eat if I let you take them all?”

The River Dragon by Darcy Pattison, illustrated by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng (Lothrop: $13.95). Ying Shao, a humble blacksmith, crosses the River Dragon’s bridge to attend the customary banquet held by the family of his bride. But to his horror, he discovers that the bride’s father serves swallows, and everyone knows that dragons adore swallows almost as much as they love pearls. How will Ying Shao ever get past the River Dragon with swallows on his breath? A variation on a classic Chinese tale.

Leonore’s Big Break by Susan Pearson, illustrated by Nancy Carlson (Viking: $14). Leonore offers ultimate proof that nerds can have a secret life. No wonder she’s so pre-occupied and strange: What he co-workers don’t know is that she’s got her bird act to rehearse. There are the waltzing cockatoos and the synchronized hummingbirds, the tap-dancing pelicans and vaudeville parrots, and the flamingos who perform “Swan Lake.” Of Course, when Lenore hits the big time, all her office mates remember what good friends they were.

ON THE COVER

The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth, retold by David A. Anderson/Sankofa and illustrated by Kathleen Atkins Wilson (Sights Productions, P.O. Box 101, Mt. Airy, Md. 21771, (410) 795-4582: $18.95). According to the story the Yoruba tell, the spark of life snatched from the heavens might have dried the new day people into brick had not Olorun’s sweet breath softened the air.

Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich: $13.95). It had been a bad day for horace. Zelda gave him a love note. And Lulu, the show-and-tell cow, stepped on his foot: But when Horace gets home, his mother has just the right recipe to make him feel better. The two put some water and salt into a pot, then scream and growl and bang, stirring away a very bad day.

Bently & Egg story and pictures by William Joyce (Harper Collins/Laura Geringer: $15). Bently Hopperton is a charming frog, easily moved to song. he and a duck egg (left in his care by his friend kack Kack) make a curious family in this lunatic tale.

Dinosaurs to the Rescue! A Guide to Protecting Our Planet by Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown (Joy Street/Little Brown: $14.95). It’s not easy to persuade a Slobosaurus that Earth is the only home we have: “But, but, but ... I’m busy ... I’ll be late...I’m too tired . . .And besides, what difference can I make?”