HIDING

An imaginative extension of a lilting verse dating to the '20s. ``I'm hiding, I'm hiding,/And no one knows where;/For all they can see is my/Toes and my hair,'' chants Benny from under the bedclothes while his parents search the house and make playful suggestions (``Have you looked in the inkwell?''). Meanwhile, in Collins's pleasant watercolors, Benny and his toy animals hide in a picture hanging over his bed; then, in miniature form and joined by a duck from the picture, they pursue their own adventures while the parents continue to search. The Eeyore-like donkey gets zebra stripes at the inkwell; the duck, Benny astride, tries the goldfish bowl; then, in a toy car, they all speed back to bed, where his parents recognize Benny by his toes (``There are ten of them. See?''). An appealing lap book with charmingly clever details. (Picture book. 3-6)