A VISIT TO THE BIG HOUSE

Rose (7) and Willie (5) are apprehensive: Dad has been in prison for a month, and Mom is taking them to see him for the first time. Originally written as a pamphlet for Connecticut's Families in Crisis, this brief, easily read description of their visit outlines what to expect. But with its intact family and minimal emotional or economic travail, it's a nonjudgmental, best-case scenario with little exploration of the issues: Dad ``took something that didn't belong to him, and going to prison is a way to make up for what he did,'' explains Mom, suggesting- -without further discussion—that the purpose of incarceration is retribution, not reform. Still, it's an adequate introduction, emphasizing that the perpetrator's children are in no way guilty and that life goes on. Avishai's soberly realistic drawings are warm and sympathetic. (Fiction/Young Reader. 7-10)