THE TICKLEOCTOPUS

Life is grim for Bup; hoping to save him from the dire fates of his three sibs, his parents trap him in the cave when they go hunting. There a pink octopus emerges to tickle him, provoking history's first smile. Bup locates his father Ughpaw, whose anger at his escape is transformed by the tickling pink tentacles into the world's first laughter; then they find Ughmaw and the three jump in the mud: ``For the first time in the history of people...someone played.'' The contagious good cheer is passed on to another ``cranky tribe''; they also discover the lost sibs, who haven't been devoured after all. The ever-inventive Woods have a package here that's guaranteed to grab kids: From the craggy die-cut cover, the brash, freely rendered art is both garish and gorgeous; the crude cave people are portrayed without mercy, but the exquisitely vibrant colors are applied to the lively compositions with a master hand. The kicker is ``a million years later'': A similar family sits in a dark room, bored but mesmerized by a flickering screen. Point made, with raucous good humor. (Picture book. 3-8) a dark room, bored but mermerized by a flickering screen. Point made, with raucous good humor. (Picture book. 3-8)