Bup the caveboy and his parents know nothing about having fun, until a wiggly creature changes their lives--and the course of human history, in a whimsical tale by the creators of Piggies. PreSchool-Grade 4-Such superb silliness tucked in a tactile cover and exploding with bodacious illustrations on clever flip pages complete with peek-a-boo cutouts begs to be in every picture-book collection. The Woods are at their unpredictable best in this prehistoric mini-saga of the first smile, laugh, and play "in the history of people." Don Wood's "watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, soft pastel, and oil pastel on coquille board" illustrations are warm and wonderful with a Van Goghesque abandon not seen in previous books. A rambunctious read-aloud with great giggle potential, The Tickleoctopus introduces a new language with such phrases as "Moog wump" and "om na gahs." Rest assured that few will know if your accent is inaccurate. Life was far from jolly in prehistoric times until Bup discovered the tickleoctopus, and lightheartedness came to be. A somber page toward the end shows a modern family caught in the glow of a TV as the text mourns the passing of saber-toothed tigers, woolly mammoths, cave bears, and the Tickleoctopus. But don't despair: the youngest boy has forsaken the tube for a pouch full of wiggly pink tentacles...could it be? Read and see. Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ages 3-6. Set in prehistoric days, this story tells about a grumpy cave family. When Ughmaw and Ughpaw go out for a day of hunting and gathering, they leave their boy Bup back in the cave to keep him safe from the saber-toothed tiger and the giant cave bear outside. Little do they know that lurking in the cave is an entirely new creature, the Tickleoctopus, who reaches out to Bup with his tentacles and tickles him until "for the first time in the history of people . . . someone smiled." Bup takes the creature out and spreads cheer through the neighborhood, and the story's ending ensures that every child who hears the book at bedtime will end up laughing, too. A mixture of pastels, gouache, and watercolor, the artwork creates a series of bright, expressive scenes. The Woods offer a picture book that's high in child appeal but evidently designed for the bookstore market. The die-cut pages and cardboard cover will attract readers, but the poor-quality binding won't stand up past the first few circulations. Libraries can count on rebinding, and that's not funny. Carolyn Phelan 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) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.