Benjamin's Bugs

An outing to the forest with his mama opens the door to a world of adventure for an intrepid young porcupine. While his mother reads a book, Benjamin climbs a tree, tastes a dandelion, finds a worm and talks to some ants. His curiosity leads him to the pond, and when he reaches out to catch a whirligig bug--``kersplash!'' Rescued by his mama, the would-be explorer is dried off and carried home for a soothing bath, jammies and a bedtime story. Morgan takes the sort of small-scale activities that define a preschooler's day and weaves them into a gently reassuring story, rounded out by winsome watercolors of the chubby, fetching porcupine cub and his mother. A final treat: endpapers delicately picked out with the critters Benjamin encounters on his travels. Ages 1-6. (Mar.)