What Can a Giant Do?

Appearing one morning at a boy's window, a friendly giant takes the child on a day-long excursion that answers the question posed in the title of this winsome book. Perched on the brim of the big fellow's straw hat, the boy finds that the giant can ``Start out with his giant stride while you ride in the breezy band of his hat. Sing a song that could tickle the sky--a yellow balloon of a song in the blue.'' With its melodic rhythm and sporadic rhyme, Cuneo's ( How to Grow a Picket Fence ) verse explains how the silent giant, carrying the child in his overall pocket or open palm, is able to ``step over a river and its shadowy blinking turtles and fish''; ``wish for a secret mountain and climb to the top with you''; and ``borrow a cloud and ride on the cloud with you.'' Finally, after the moon appears, the giant tiptoes down the mountain and returns the sleepy child to his bedroom. Huang's ( Let's Go Riding in Our Strollers ) tranquil watercolors portray Cuneo's oversized hero as a kind and gentle guide to a benign world, reinforcing the soothing quality of this bedtime tale. Ages 3-6. (June)