GOING HOME

Eagerly awaiting the day he can leave the hospital, Hugo turns down fellow patients Nirmala and Simon's invitations to play cards or watch TV for imaginative journeys inspired by the zoo he can see out the window. When his mother and sister Cathy visit, he describes his adventures so vividly that Cathy yearns to share them (``It's not fair! I only went to kindergarten''). In generously large, up-close paintings, Harris (who spent two years in a hospital as a child) heightens the upbeat tone; though the young patients' activities are quiet, there's no other evidence of their illnesses, while spreads depicting Hugo's excursions with animals are vibrantly detailed and animated. When he does go home, he shares his secret with Nirmala and Simon; and on the last page they're exploring India with a fine tiger. Appealing and gently insightful. (Picture book. 4-8)