ABRACADABRA TO ZIGZAG

A clever thematic alphabet. The gimmick here is nifty- sounding words and phrases, most of them with internal echoes: ``knickerbockers,'' ``odds and ends,'' ``yoo-hoo.'' Many of Lehman's visualizations are imaginative (two kids ``dillydally'' aloft in a hot-air ballon) though others are a bit cliched (a ``rolypoly'' person rolls down a hill). Still, there's a pleasing variety in the airy, crisply designed art, while a concluding glossary that includes brief notes on derivations is especially worthy. (Picture book. 4-8)