Generations of readers have grown up with Eric Carle's deceptively simple picture books, which combine entertaining stories, glorious cut-paper collages, and gentle lessons about a child's world. Here are three of his stories collected in one handsome volume: "Rooster's Off to See the World, A House for Hermit Crab, " and "The Tiny Seed." Dazzling collages of hand-painted tissue paper will entice young readers to become acquainted with numbers, the seasons, and the days of the week as they read. Rooster sets off to see the wide world in a day-long adventure. Hermit Crab spends a week in search of the perfect decorations for his shell. And a tiny seed travels through fall, winter, spring, and summer looking for a place to grow into a flower. These three stories involving counting and the passage of time will excite the imaginations of children and encourage their curiosity about the world around them.