ALPHA BETA CHOWDER

In the marvelously witty style of Consider the Lemming (1988), an alphabet of comical verses, each peppered with its prevailing letter: satirical portraits ("Noisome Naomi" is a "nightmare,/She's nervy as a newt./Her ma and pa are nitwits- -/They think Naomi's cute"), sardonic dramas, and other succinctly penned nonsense. Embellishing his deftly squiggled drawings with sophisticated color, William Steig visualizes his wife's deliciously bizarre characters with his own rare blend of compassion and wicked glee. There are rhymes here that get funnier with each rereading—like the one about a man who mashes potatoes with a hammer: "Might a mallet not be better?/That would minimize the clamor." Not to be missed. (Poetry/Picture book. 5+)