EVEN IF I SPILL MY MILK?

His parents are leaving when Jamie begins his intensive questioning: Would Mama tuck him in? Will she love him forever? Even if he spills milk on her party dress on purpose and she's angry? And would she still go? The persistent testing remains verbal here, while Mama is a commendable model for parents responding to such anxieties: She sets a five-minute limit during which—lovingly but sensibly—she answers Jamie's questions, tucks him in, promises another kiss when they return, and leaves him asking the baby sitter to make his one book a long one, ``and read it slow.'' The acute realism of the dialogue edges toward comedy, while Hines's cozy, unassuming illustrations and the small, square pages help convey the underlying security of this little boy's world. Appealing bibliotherapy. (Picture book. 3-7)