FRANK FISTER'S HIDDEN TALENT

A disappointing clinker from the author of The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (1993). Young Frank discovers that his wishes come true whenever he sticks his tongue out and crosses his eyes but wishes his ability away again after a poultry thief forces him to help with a heist. Despite some sight gags and a flock of peppery-looking chickens, Johnson's illustrations—featuring generic figures with exaggerated expressions and gestures—are as weak and unimaginative as his story. Efforts to rescue it with silliness (Frank's mother serves dishes like liver-and-onion cheesecake and banana-tuna chow mein) fall as flat as his protagonist's decision to forgo the ``abracadabra'' and ``stick with the real world.'' (Picture book. 6-8)