ABRACATABBY

A lamely-plotted, paper-thin fabrication--more suited to a picture book, if anything--featuring a talking, magic-working cat. ""Adam had always wanted a cat."" And, when the family moves from an apartment to a house, and mice and rabbits and mooching birds turn up, his mother decides a cat is in order. Adam selects a black one, names him Abracatabby (""like abracadabra"")--and discovers that the cat can not only talk, he can make a ""baked trout"" appear . . . for one thing. But the cat, fearful of notoriety, conceals his special-ness from everyone except Adam. Best-friend Mark, the only believer, breaks his promise and tells the other kids--who, predictably, scoff. Then, at Adam's birthday party, he wishes on his candles that Abracatabby ""would show them all!"" So Abracatabby performs some magic. But lest he leave, as threatened (""before someone calls the newspapers""), Adam suggests he magically make everyone forget: Adam would rather endure the scoffing. Mark, however, doesn't forget; but he does promise not to tell anyone else again. Pretty dumb and altogether flat.