An Edward Lear Alphabet was first published in 1871, illustrated with the King of Nonsense"s own incongruously matter-of-fact pen-and-ink sketches. Evidently Lear composed this rhyming alphabet for some children he befriended in a hotel, leaving a poem a day on the family"s breakfast table. "A was once an apple pie, / Pidy / Widy / Tidy / Pidy / Nice insidy / Apple pie," he begins jauntily. Kids will love repeating the verses out loud--"E was once a little eel, / Eely / Weely / Peely / Eely / Twirly tweely / Little eel"--particularly early readers just learning to sound out words. Vladimir Radunsky"s modern, explosively colorful, rather Monty Python-like collages (reminiscent of Yucka Drucka Droni) complement Lear"s simple verse remarkably well, considering the century-long leap in style and attitude. These bold illustrations, many of which conjure a bald, bearded, bespectacled Lear, make the whimsical poet"s verse all the more accessible. Readers who adore Lear and his joyful frivolity should also investigate the 1846 classic A Book of Nonsense, a rollicking, ridiculous poetic romp that no child or adult should be without. (Ages 3 to 6) --Karin Snelson