THE QUIGLEYS

Mason, a British novelist making his children's book debut, affects a blithe tone for this engaging bit of fluff about the humorous vexations of an ordinary British family. A quartet of chapters introduces the Quigleys—Dad, Lucy, Mum and Will—each of whom commandeers a separate adventure. For instance, disaster almost strikes when Dad baby-sits the neighbors' children and one of them disappears while Dad is distracted by a football (soccer) match on television (she's eventually found asleep inside a duvet cover). For her star turn, Lucy insists on wearing a bee costume instead of a bridesmaid's dress to a wedding; she and Will later conspire to give Mum a birthday she'll never forget; and Will finagles a fine-feathered Christmas present for himself. Mason keeps the tone light and larky: "There was a mass of rose bushes in the front yard and a smell of cat. The Quigleys didn't have a cat. The smell was made by other people's cats." The result is a mildly eccentric British version of, say, Beverly Cleary's Quimby family. While the slim story doesn't have the substance of a Cleary tale, it's reasonably diverting—with the minor exception of Mr. Quigley's repeated use of the phrase "Christ Almighty!" which may not wash for some readers on this side of the pond. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 5-12. (May)