PIG PIG RIDES

The babyish pig who became a small hero in Pig Pig Grows Up (1980) has only dreams of glory here, and they are only one-line visions--""I'll take my racing car and try for a speed record""; ""I'll jump 500 elephants on my motorcycle""--accompanied by broad, obvious double-page illustrations that look, in this 8(apple) x 11 format, as inflated as Pig Pig's self-image. These fantasies are all part of Pig Pig's breakfast conversation with his mother, which ends with her ""'Please be careful.' 'Why?' asked Pig Pig. 'Because I love you,' said his mother."" And that's it. It's as if McPhail took the theme that's cropped up countless times from Runaway Bunny on down, and set out to make the least of it.