You Smell and Taste and Feel and See and Hear

The (almost) rude title belies the utter sweetness of this book about a puppy discovering the senses under the watchful, affectionate eye of its doggie parent. Murphy (I Like It When) manages to evoke the simple pleasures of the sound of falling blocks or a friend's voice, or the feel of fingerpaint and slick paper, with wonderful freshness. The tactile primacy of such sensations is due in equal measure to the seemingly effortless text and the bright illustrations in lilac, lemon yellow and tangerine, with strong forms and subtle watery textures outlined with bold black lines. The hand-lettering contributes to the book's considerable charm: the uneven words of ""I feel a scritchy-scratchy comb"" and the falling letters of ""I hear my blocks CRASH!"" for example, help evoke the sensations described. The heavily outlined dog-and-puppy duo fairly beams with personality, despite the pared-down, almost emblematic directness of the shapes. This delightful, distinctive volume pleases just about all the senses. Ages 2-5. (Oct.)