Bouncing Time

Bright and cheerful, this effervescent picture book will hop, skip and caper its way into a toddler's heart. ""How will you bounce today, baby?"" a mother asks her daughter, lifting her high into the air. ""Will you bounce like a grasshopper, cricket, or frog? Or a hoppity toad on his log in the bog?"" As mother and child head to the zoo, the possibilities expand (""We'll see tigers that tumble, and jumping giraffes""), then melt into the stuff of sweet dreams as day draws to a close. Hubbell (Wrapping Paper Romp) sets her nimble rhymes to a buoyant beat, beguilingly punctuated by Sweet's (Bat Jamboree) delectable paintings. Dotted lines and springy swirls beneath the characters emphasize the motion and energy that drive the tale, while broad brush strokes in Popsicle shades of raspberry, lime, lemon and orange add pizzazz. The rounded forms of animals, mom and child almost seem to danceDand readers will want to join in. A slice of pure pleasure. Ages 1-4. (Apr.)