F-Freezing ABC

A bitter wintry wind blows as four unlikely friends-a duck, cat, anteater and bear-leave their unheated home in search of warm lodging. The animals encounter every letter of the alphabet as they roam; the ""E-Elephant"" has a cozy but crowded house, the ""F-Fox"" looks too hungry for the duck's comfort and the ""G-Goat"" lives in a haunted mansion. The British author/artist sometimes gropes to fit sequential letters into the story (e.g., ""insects hibernating"" in an ""I-Igloo""). By the time the letters X and Y come along, though, readers won't bat an eye at the xylophone-playing yak. Besides, thanks to Simmonds's icy illustrations, the Ernest Shepard-esque characters' plight takes precedence over the alphabetic premise. Gray outlines trimmed in blue evoke the tundra-like outdoors; accents of warm yellow and pink signify snug indoor lairs; and charcoal gray blended with pine green indicates a shadowy nightfall. Such details as a kangaroo that donates its sweater to the shivering anteater, and an umbrella that passes from a skunk to the bear to an angry wolf carry through from page to page and encourage repeat readings. Ages 4-8. (Jan.)