ONE VERY, VERY QUIET AFTERNOON

Alphabet books are numberless, but this is a first in using children's names for each letter and a time frame of one afternoon's events. While original, for this story, it's not very interesting. Pen and ink drawings depict the crazy antics of Annabelle Barbara Cavendish and her friends at a ""quiet"" afternoon tea party. From the time that Daniel Erza Fiddleson literally drops in from a neighboring tree to the arrival of the dog Yasmin and cat Zephyr, one unmannerly and unexpected catastrophe follows another. Although the idea of using names and identifying their own may amuse preschoolers, the characters' activities of fighting over a teapot or making and throwing mud pies aren't really very humorous. And the cartoon-like children are too much alike for young children to distinguish one from the other, though Lillie does include at least one black child. A good try at a new style of ABC book. However, the plot may be too slight to maintain interest.