Giant Story: A Half Picture Book

Two ``half picture books'' comprise a wholetwo stories are bound back to back. On one side begins the story of a fearless mouse, and on the other, the tale of a timid giant. The giant is a lonely forest dweller whose heart holds ``no more than a drop of courage,'' and the mouse is a brave creature who is afraid of nothing, not even thunderstorms. They are both in need of a consoling friend; their first meeting occurs in the middle of the forest and appears, literally, in the middle spread of the book. The author of The Cuckoo-Clock Cuckoo offers an excellent composite of 20/20 vision, a palindrome-like structure and topsy-turvy fun. Fuchshuber's daring employment of this unusual concept will capture readers' hearts with its plain message: differences cannot come in the way of good friendships. Lucid paintings capture the mood of the forest and contrast the symmetrical worlds of the very small being with the very large one. Ages 3-7. (April)