THE DOORBELL RANG

ITwo children prepare to share 12 fresh-baked cookies (""as good as Grandma's"" but ""nobody makes cookies like Grandma""), but then the doorbell rings; now four will get only three each, and so on. When the doorbell rings again, after they're down to one apiece, Mother suggests that perhaps they should eat first and then open the door; the children decide to wait and are rewarded by the appearance of Grandma with plenty of cookies for all. Hutchins, producer of a succession of delightful picture. books since Rosie's Walk (1968), has another winner here. The simple, repetitive text is perfectly complemented by the boldly colorful ink-and-watercolor paintings showing a generous British kitchen--where the teakettle comes to a boil as Mother tries to keep up with the mud tracked in by what must be all the children in an interracial neighborhood. Funny and fun--the expressions on the children's faces as they see their portions dwindle are worth the price of the book. Try it on the youngest: they can't divide, but they can share.