Mizzy and the Tigers

An unimpressive effort from first-time author Edmiston and illustrator Ellis. Mizzy, the daughter of a benign though somewhat addled wizard, loves cats. Felines of all sizes and colors careen through her house. But when her father tells her about the biggest cats of all--the tigers who live in the jungle--Mizzy will not rest until she has seen them for herself. There's no real plot, merely a telegraphic series of episodes in which Mizzy discovers the tigers, wins them over with cat food, invites them home and, when the big cats return to the jungle the next day, accepts the fact that she can't keep them. Mizzy is a cardboard cutout of a heroine, unable to carry even so minimal a story. Ellis's artwork is similarly insipid, overcrowded with zig-zags apparently meant to suggest the tigers' stripes. In spite of all the bright colors, the illustrations are static and the characters, practically devoid of facial features, look utterly flat. Ages 4-8. (Aug.)