LITTLE PINK PIG

Each time Little Pink Pig's mother calls him, he's too busy (in a barrel of apples, knocking over a milk can, etc.) to hear; each time she and the growing band of animals that she asks to help give up and move on, he calls ``Wait for me!'' and they don't hear him. Once again, the reliable Hutchins (Rosie's Walk, etc.) crafts the simplest of picture-book staples into a multi- leveled nursery tale so neatly orchestrated that even a toddler will know exactly what's going on; once again, her bright, clean illustrations are as lucid as her cumulative text. After each barnyard animal has called the little pig in its traditional voice, he's ready to be found—and high time, too. ``Hurry up!'' says his mother. ``It's past your bedtime.'' Still, Little Pink Pig has the last word: ``Wait for me!'' Just right. (Picture book. 2-6)