KIDS SNEAK PEEK MOVIE ARTIST ADDS CHILDREN'S BOOK TO RESUME.

Byline: - Nancy Hewitt

Kevin Yagher has always had a penchant for creating fantasy characters, doing special effects and telling stories.

When he was younger, he and his brother used to do their own monster makeup, and later did their own stop-action films using G.I. Joes.

But now the special-effects creator of such films as ``Sleepy Hollow,'' which he wrote and co-produced, ``Starship Troopers,'' ``Face/Off'' and the ``Nightmare on Elm Street'' movies has found another outlet for his creative endeavors: He's written and illustrated his first children's book, called ``Heverly.''

Yagher and his wife, actress Catherine Hicks, pay a visit to Storyopolis at 4 p.m. Saturday to share the story of ``Heverly'' with a reading and a display of characters and sets from the book, including Prince Eli on the dragonfly, a flying spider bat and the crystal cave.

``Heverly'' is a tale of a young prince who must take a perilous journey to save his father and his kingdom from the clutches of a scheming uncle.

Building on his fascination for elves and fairies and strong male role models, Yagher has created a young hero who is elflike in appearance with a sensibility and strength that will appeal to young male readers.

``I wanted to do a book that was for boys, an adventure for boys,'' he says. He believes most fairy tales tend to be geared to girls.

Yagher created all the characters in miniature; most are 7 or 8 inches in height. He also created the sets for every scene, then photographed them at different angles, with the characters in different positions and poses for the book.

Some of the shots were done in his own back yard; many were done at the studio. Then he added effects and made the scenes come alive on his computer.

``I was trying not to do something I saw before. I did my research. I looked at photos. I approached it like I do my makeup,'' he says. ``The eyes from this one, the jawline from that one. I was trying to give them human characteristics.''

When creating two of the scarier creatures - the spider bat and the Great Siphon, a golden three-headed serpent - consideration was given to believability: ``(It should) have something that feels like an insect or something that feels like an eel or snake, like sharp teeth. Teeth are scary things,'' he says.

Yagher admits that doing the book was particularly enjoyable to him because he had complete control.

``It's more a pure art form than a movie, which gets rewritten or lines have to be changed for the actors.''

Although the book is geared to kids age 7 to 12, Yagher thinks even teens and adults will enjoy it.

``The strength (of the book) is in the pictures,'' he says. ``And there's a message. The message is not running away from what you're meant to be, like Eli running away from being king.''

Hicks reads ``Heverly'' at 4 p.m. Yagher and a makeup artist friend will demonstrate techniques of makeup and will make up a lucky child for Halloween. At 5 p.m. Yagher will sign copies of his book.

Storyopolis is at 116 N. Robertson, Plaza A, Los Angeles. Information: [phone].

A VERY BOB CHRISTMAS: Join the title character, Wendy and his mechanical pals as they prepare for Christmas in the holiday video ``Bob's White Christmas.''

The video includes five episodes, three of which are holiday-themed, and is priced at $14.99 at local retailers.

CHRISTMAS DOWN UNDER: The Wiggles and their pals are back with ``Yule Be Wiggling,'' a new video, CD and cassette for the holidays.

Join Greg, Murray, Anthony, Jeff, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus and Captain Feathersword as they dance and sing to ``A Scottish Christmas,'' ``Curoc Curoc'' and 14 more merry songs.

Suggested price for the video is $14.95, $10.98 for CD, $6.98 for cassette at local retailers.

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Photo: no caption (Bookcover ``Heverly'')