[close] Those alligators really do get around! Whether they're entertaining elephants, making macaroni, having headaches, or throwing tantrums, the rascally reptiles are never napping! Maurice Sendak's alphabet book will have young "readers" reciting their ABC's in no time. The three-color illustrations endear these quite quarrelsome critters to readers' hearts. Mom, Dad, and Junior are brimming with personality; the collective images create a complete picture of the nutty--yet remarkably familiar--household. Somehow, these likable lizards manage to capture the foibles and peculiarities of human nature better than many bipeds ever could. Yet beneath their very vain and sometimes shockingly spoiled surface, the friendly fanged creatures have a charm that no one can resist. Sendak, beloved author-illustrator of such classics as Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, and Chicken Soup with Rice, much like his green gator gang, is always getting giggles. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter [close]