Lunch with Milly

More like an hors d'oeuvre than a five-course meal, this slight story will leave most readers hankering for a little substance. A girl describes serving lunch to her grown-up friend, Milly, only to realize mid-meal that she has prepared no dessert. ``No matter,'' says Milly, and off they fly through the window to a beach where the narrator must ``sing a song of cats and ships. For the Fox.'' (Huh?) But sing she does, and a grateful fox appears with strawberries. Lemons and mint are acquired through equally peculiar performances, and the friends fly home to make Strawberries with Lemon and Mint (recipe included). Spowart's talent for surreal pastels validates the fanciful tone, but camouflages neither the undeveloped characters nor the lackluster plot. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)