Grandfather's Lovesong

Although it occasionally runs to the mundane, Lindbergh's ( View from the Air ) simple poem tenderly expresses a man's love for his grandchild. On each page, a four-line rhymed verse, presented without punctuation, evokes an image of nature as the narrator describes the extent of his affection: ``I love you wide / Like the earth's great tide / With a hug of oceans / Held inside.'' In some cases, the loving grandfather's similes make reference to the passing seasons, which Isadora ( Ben's Trumpet ; Over the Green Hills ) renders in striking watercolors. Her sweeping land- and seascapes, emphasizing grand expanses of sometimes brilliantly tinted skies, are truly imposing. And whether the devoted grandfather and child are playing, working or just sitting together, the art captures the close bond between them. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)