I LOVE YOU, MOUSE

. . .and if I were a mouse, I'd make you a furry nest. And we'd curl up together and nibble some cheese. I love you, kitten, and if I were a cat, I'd make you a soft basket. And we'd drink warm milk and stretch ourselves."" Graham's undiscriminatingly affectionate little boy loves not only mouse and kitten but also puppy, piglet, chicky, lamb, bear cub, tadpole, duckling, gosling, bunny and owlet--and he roams the farm and countryside telling each one in turn, without varying the pattern, what he'd do if he were an adult of their species. Where can it end? In his own room of course, with his father putting him to bed and announcing, foolishly, ""I love you, baby, and since we're people, I've built a house for you. . . ."" A pretty flimsy structure though; the truth is, it takes more than love.