A snoozing mouse is startled by a ball rolling into its lap. A large dog's nose suddenly pokes into the mouse's space, and an "alphabet caper" begins. Energetic, humorous cartoon illustrations, rendered in india ink and felt-tip pens and set on clean white backgrounds, convey a lively domestic adventure through the alphabet. The story is told in single words or short phrases, highlighting one letter at a time. The featured letter is a different color to make it stand out from the rest of the type on the page. Comic interactions between the mouse and the dog sustain interest. Most letters appear on one page with an accompanying illustration, but a pair of two-page spreads emphasize climactic points in the story. Those two spots provide good places to pause and invite predictions. There are some unexpected twists before the tale is finished. The title words are in alphabetical order, establishing the pattern from the start. The crisp, uncluttered design and playful story line make letter identification plenty of fun.

This abecedary tells a spare, fast-paced story through cartoon illustrations that excel at conveying movement. An opening picture from within a mouse hole reveals the occupant sleeping in a recliner: "Asleep." A "Ball" bounces toward the startled mouse; on the facing recto: "Catch." Whose ball is this? It belongs to "Dog," of course. Twohy's inventive illustrations show the dog in hot pursuit of the frantic mouse.

Toddler-PreS An alphabetical romp that tells what happens when Dog accidentally rolls his ball into Mouse's house. Dog is irritated about the missing ball and winds up chasing Mouse out of his den and all through the house. The story resolves with Mouse wrapping the ball up and giving it to Dog. Dog unwraps it, thinks it's very cool, wags his tail, sends "XOXO," and finally says yes. Then the two of them happily take a nap together: Zzzzz. Twohy's fast-paced book is spare, with simple line illustrations, few colors, and one or two words per page. Felt-tip pens and India ink were used to create these illustrations, and the lines Twohy uses in his drawings convey Dog's curiosity and Mouse's panic to escape, as well as the energetic antics of the story. This book will work nicely as a one-on-one read but will also be a good pick for toddler storytimes. VERDICT A general purchase for early childhood collections. Liz Anderson, DC Public Library