Pog

A few philosophical points and much humor are put across in Haswell's wry book of short chapters, most of them the size of a single spread. Pog is a pig who, espying his image in a mirror, ponders, ``That's not me . . . WHO WAS IT?'' When Pog finds a banana, he assigns several uses to it until he hits upon the most appropriate one. In a game of hide-and-seek, Pog worries that he'll be found, and when he has a cold, his greatest concern is that his nose won't smell. On a hot day, Pog discovers it impossible to remain both cool and dry, and after painting everything in sight red, he asks himself why, since ``I don't like red!'' Playful puns and intriguing ideas are tangled and tampered with; in his loose, cartoony pictures and terse text, Haswell is more intent on raising questions than answering them. This he does with flair. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)