PHOEBE'S FABULOUS FATHER

Phoebe and her mother are running a few errands before the concert they will give that night with Phoebe's father. Phoebe complains that her father is forever practicing, perfecting his cello work, and ``Why couldn't he be more like other dads?'' Observant readers, by this time, will have begun to notice that there is something funny in the works as the energetic mother and daughter proceed through their rounds. There are small hints of dinosaurs everywhere, so by the time Phoebe and her mother pedal up their driveway, readers will be curious to know just who—or what- -Phoebe's dad is. The statement that he abandoned a career as a world-famous soloist ``because he'd rather stay home and play music with us'' will seem incidental by the time it's uttered; a glimpse of the audience that night gives readers the real picture. Starr Taylor provides idiosyncratic illustrations—with Phoebe and her mother swooping and dancing through every errand—that make the guessing game fun. (Picture book. 3-8)