THE NIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS

That melancholy letdown of the night after Christmas is compounded for Teddy and the doll Annie, both old toys who've been discarded to make room for the newer models. At first Teddy tries to keep up their spirits, singing Jingle Bells and working up acts to attract new owners, but finally he gives in to Annie's gloom. But there's also a dog, Chauncey, who takes them in to his cellar home and, as they still pine for child owners, props them up near the school door when Christmas vacation ends. A bell rings, children pour out of the school, and ""when all the children were gone, Annie and Teddy were gone, too."" The basic story is as old-fashioned as the toys, and probably as reliable. Stevenson adds some wry little tugs, gives each of the three characters its own distinctively lovable blank stare, and extends his hold in the subdued, snow-splashed pictures of lonely and abandoned scenes.