cover image Jeremy Kooloo

Jeremy Kooloo

Tim Mahurin. Dutton Books, $13.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-525-45203-4

An unusual abecedary, this handsome debut picture book tells of a huge white cat's milk addiction. The tale is told in a matter of alphabetically ordered words, 23, to be exact, plus the conveniently coined ``XYZzzz.'' Some words build to full sentences (``A Big Cat Drank Every Full Glass'') while others stand alone yet speak volumes (``Hiccup!'' and ``Oops!''). The eponymous cat-white with unblinking jade eyes-adores nonfat milk and will drink it from the glass, the carton or the floor. The result is always a healthy ``Prrrrrrrr,'' followed by a snooze under a quilt patterned with... letters of the alphabet. Accomplished illustrations in soft brown and reds combine warm nostalgia with the clean-cut lines of advertising art. A direct naivete plays through these paintings, and they gleam like burnished wood. Children will lap up the antics of the pudgy lactophile hero as he takes center stage on each spread. Ages 2-5. (Feb.)