SUPPOSING...

A 1960 text from Reid is paired to all-new illustrations from Gill that realize one child’s beguiling hypotheses. “Supposing / I taught my dog how to read...” Beneath this intriguing opening, a floppy-eared dog holds a book in its mouth, waiting. “Supposing / I looked in the mirror one day and saw someone who wasn’t me at all and I said, Who are you? and he said, Mr. Endicott...” Readers see the child from the rear looking into the mirror, out of which is reflected an adult man wearing a fedora. And so it goes, supposition after childlike supposition, against scribbly, mostly black-and-white drawings with just a few strategic touches of color. The sophisticated minimalism of the illustrations at their best work with the text to prompt wild flights of fancy; at worst, they are simply thought-provoking. As fascination with cause and effect is a classic phase of childhood, this book would seem to have a natural place in both bedrooms and classrooms; though the flat, mannered cartoons may be initially off-putting to kids, the concept will beguile them. (Picture book. 4 & up)