HOW KIND!

Streamlined compositions complement the straightforward message in this circular tale in which one good deed hatches another (and another and another). Hen triggers a string of goodwill gestures when she gives her egg away to Pig. "How kind!" Pig responds, then thinks, "I would like to do something kind too." He gives Rabbit a carrot and so continues the sequence of thoughtful acts that eventually leads back to Hen. Using a few assured strokes, Murphy (Roxie and Bo Together) depicts the happy farm animals with their innocent mannerisms; for example, just two easy lines in the neighborhood of Pig's eye convey his pleasure while Puppy scratches Pig's back. A handful of vibrant colors, varying from spread to spread, adds verve, as when the lilac Cat chases the chartreuse Puppy down an orange path, against green ground. The thick black outlines that define each character match the oversize rounded type that, resembling a child's printing, often sprawls across most of a page. The absence of superfluous background details and the flat perspective aptly suit the story's direct theme and keep readers focused on its meaning. Sure to resonate with its intended preschool audience. Ages 3-5. (May)