Careful with That Ball, Eugene!

Riddle's first book for children is a winsome ``What if?'' tale in which a boy exhibits an active--and far-reaching--imagination. When Eugene kicks his ball, readers know what happens until the story's end but, before that, they see where it ``could have gone.'' Gently humorous, light-hued watercolors show the runaway ball crashing through the McBeavers' front window, leaving chaos in its wake before landing in a bowl of oatmeal--and mercilessly splattering poor Mrs. McBeaver. Eugene envisions getting into so much trouble that he is forced to leave home and to take refuge in a variety of exotic places: on ``a ship bound for South America,'' on a Himalayan mountaintop, in a Greek monastery, in a gangsters' hideout. Presented with a droll display of hyperbole, Eugene's fanciful flight is perfect fodder for active imaginations. Ages 3-6. (Mar.)