HIDING

As she did in Bouncing and Giving (both 1993), Hughes explores and extends what initially looks like a simple concept: At first, a child plays peekaboo with a toddler who's gazing raptly at the cushion from behind which she declares ``You can't see me''; then they play hide-and-seek, in which the place of concealment is a secret. Then Hughes progesses, depicting hiding as a solitary game or, in an adult's case, as a way to grab a moment of peace (``Mom hides behind a book''). Animals appear, as do things that seem to hide, like the moon, or are said to hide, like flowers in winter. To Hughes's usual complement of amiable and perceptive watercolors of the same pair of children in a variety of cozily comfortable scenes are added depictions of the pair enacting 18 more verbs on the endpapers. Also new: Chatting (ISBN 1-56402-340-0). Charming and enriching. (Picture book. 2-6)