Pignic: An Alphabet Book in Rhyme

Twenty-six members of a hog family attend a potluck ""pignic'' in this alphabet book. There's no plot, just an alliterative parade of pigs bearing food, from ""Aunt Annie made apple pie"" to ""Zak baked zucchini bread."" Miranda (The Elephant at the Waldorf) selects vittles ordinary and odd (""Ivan churned the ice cream. / June brought jam in jars. / Karl made pickled kumquat mousse, / and the lemon tarts were Lars' ""). Hoffman (Three Sisters) adeptly illustrates the edible fare, shown displayed in colorful blue and terra cotta crockery. Unfortunately, the illustrator's pencil-and-colored-ink hogs are singularly unappealing. Their drooping ears and slack, pinkish-gray skin lend them a disconcerting, geriatric look; a drab palette of beige, gray and pink adds to this impression. What might have been a festive occasion is dampened by the pigs' glum expressions-readers will RSVP regrets to this pig-out. Ages 4-6. (Jan.)