Gooch Machine, The
Grade 1-4.  The subject matter of Bagert's 19 poems (grouchy teachers, homework, procrastination, etc.) has child appeal, but the quality of the writing varies a great deal. "Alien Eyes?" perfectly captures a youngster's questioning about the possible existence of other inhabitants in our universe: on the opposite page, however, is "Countdown Jitters," a juvenile description of space rocket takeoffs that falls flat. The author states in a brief introductory note that his poems are meant to be acted out, but even the most expressive voice and actions won't lift some of these poems above the mediocre. Detailed, highly colored watercolor-and-marker illustrations leave little to readers' imaginations and lack depth and subtlety. Some border on the grotesque. Compare these often-garish illustrations to the wonderful pen-and-ink drawings by James Stevenson in Jack Prelutsky's New Kid on the Block (1984) and Something Big Has Been Here (1990, both Greenwillow). These collections are for the same audience but consistently amuse while the illustrations allow readers to create their own mind images.?Barbara McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School, Severna Park, MDCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.