Tabby

A girl and her father visit an animal shelter at the start of this cheerful if thin wordless book by the author of the more successful My Visit to the Dinosaurs and How a Book Is Made. The pair takes home a wide-eyed kitten-Tabby-who is subsequently shown lapping up a bowl of milk, sleeping in a basket by the girl's bed, peering out the window as she and her friends build a snowman, and exploring the garden in springtime while the child plays alongside a smiling newborn. Later, with summer in full bloom, a tiny kitten creeps under the garden wall to frolic with Tabby. Finally, this kitten, its young owners, the girl and, of course, Tabby, celebrate Tabby's first birthday. Aliki's warmly hued, appealingly childlike art hints at the tenderness between girl and pet, but many of her compositions seem static and bland. Unfortunately, this volume lacks the whimsy and dimension that-in the best wordless stories-encourage creative interpretation. Ages 3-6. (May)