ANNABELLE'S UN-BIRTHDAY

Lucky Annabelle: she makes instant friends in her new school; then, in the euphoria at the end of her first day, she invites her entire class to Grandma's for an impromptu ``birthday'' party, Grandma rises handsomely to the occasion, providing not only ice cream but a cake in full regalia. Conscientiously trying to forestall objections, Kroll stretches credulity—mothers are consulted before these second graders go en masse to a stranger's apartment, but that's only possible because every mother arrives to pick up her child after school. Still, reality recurs when Grandma follows up the party with a thoughtful command: Annabelle must explain to her class that it wasn't her birthday. She tempers this stern requirement with cookies to share and some good advice about how to handle the confession, so that there are no recriminations or misunderstandings. With five brief, easily read chapters, this light, upbeat story makes good transitional fare. Owen's nicely observed b&w illustrations reinforce the wholesome good humor. (Fiction/Young reader. 6-9)