GIVING

If childhood has an illustrator laureate, it must be Hughes: no one else captures emotions, concerns, and body language with such sensibility and affection. Here, she explores the concepts embraced by her title in a series of statements by a young child, depicting her in typical activities involving her family and neighbors. ``I gave Mom a present...And she gave me a big kiss.'' Not all return gifts are as welcome: ``...the baby gave me two of his soggy bread crusts''; the cat, coerced into a doll carriage, ``a nasty scratch.'' Touching on smiles and frowns, parties and bus seats, Hughes gently considers generosity, reciprocity, and even turning the other cheek—in this warm, wise, deceptively simple book. Endpaper vignettes introduce additional verbs; a companion title, Bouncing (ISBN 1-56402-128-9) follows the same tots through a merrily rambunctious day. (Picture book. 2-6)