IT'S JUST ME, EMILY

What's under the covers, tickling Mother's toes? A cat? A weasel? A mole? ""No! It's just me. . .Emily."" In this variation on that old favorite, peekaboo, Mother wonders whether there's something fierce like a lion behind the door, large like an elephant under the table, splashing like a porpoise in the tub--until an unwonted silence makes her search all of two-year-old Emily's usual places, finding her at last, fast asleep on her blanket. A comfortable, repetitive story, tuneful with rhyme, cozy with the familiar. Softly drawn, Emily and her mother are solidly natural; the imaginary animals are more vaguely defined and a bit cartoonish. This would be nice to share with parents and children in programs for toddlers.