Leslie M. Connito , a longtime painter, has turned her love of poetry and her talent for brushstrokes, into five children's books, one of which is set in South Salem, N.Y. where she lives. "The Wild-Out Animal Alphabet Book," "The Magic Drum," and "The Story of Ticklemino," were created and illustrated in a drawn out form for Connito's two daughters when they were young and just published this past summer.