The Book of Shadowboxes: A Story of the ABCs

There is an unmistakable mass market look to this busy ABC book. Each letter receives a double-page spread showcasing a two-stanza rhyme, a shadow box filled with objects, and an invitation from a cheerful blue ghost to find something in the shadow box. ``Can you find my brass bugle?'' he asks as the rhyme lists ``A big batch of bunny heads / Row after row, / And a bunch of balloons / With a brown bear below.'' Although the idea for the book is inventive, the coy illustrations at times overwhelm. Almost all the alphabet pictures have man-in-the-moon faces--jelly beans, ice cubes, bananas, dice, even green hills grin out at the reader. The rhymes are often forced, and the author avoids the problem of finding words for the difficult letter ``X'' by saying that ``X doesn't start / Many words, just a few, / But it's mixed in with taxi / And chickenpox too.'' Ages 2-10. (Nov.)