ABC YUMMY

A cheerful alphabet book brimming with good things to eat, from Jahn-Clough (My Happy Birthday Book, 1996, etc.). In a hand-sized book, the bold, childlike gouache illustrations pack a lot of punch per inch. Each features a tiny child or children cavorting with an enormous fruit or vegetable, against a brightly colored background. For ``Carlo's Cosmic Carrot,'' a boy flies through space on a carrot rocket ship. There is ``Matt And Marty's Monumental Mushroom'' (larger than most umbrellas) and ``Nicki And Nate's Nutricious Nectarine,'' which is skyborne. Elsewhere, Elena struggles with an enormous eggplant while Pat, Pam, and Paul sleep peacefully in a peapod. The featured letter in each alliterative phrase is printed in red; a final spread shows the entire alphabet in uppercase and lowercase. With an exuberant cast of children of various races, this is not the first book to combine the alphabet, alliteration, and food, but it's certainly among the most appealing. (Picture book. 3-7)