MILO'S TOOTHACHE

When Milo Pig suddenly develops a toothache, he's willing to accept friend Dan's advice and see a dentist. Cheerfully, Milo gets ready to go while Dan panics: What if it hurts? Dan rounds up four silly friends, and they all insist on coming along to comfort the still-unconcerned Milo; then, while the dentist (a duck) extricates the bit of popcorn that's causing the trouble, the others manage to injure themselves in the waiting room. In simple, repeated vocabulary, deftly deployed in natural cadences, a comically exaggerated story that effectively makes its point; illustrator Giannini (an Italian architect) makes a good debut with his witty, appealing characterizations.