NONFICTION - July 2, 1995

SPECIAL DELIVERY by Becki and Keith Dilley with Sam Stall. (Random House: $21; 255 pp.) There are many books that, because of personal taste, are almost impossible to evaluate for overall quality, but instead should be seen in terms of whether they accomplish what they set out to. Becki and Keith Dilley’s “Special Delivery” is an enthusiastic, somewhat bubble-gummy, account of how it feels to be raising America’s only sextuplets. “Wow, that’s a lot of diapers,” and “Gee, Becki and Keith must be tired” are about the most profound thoughts most readers will extract from this particular story. However, that is the type of book it is--sweet, slight and fairly well-written--a book to be finished in a few sittings.

When Becki and Keith, who were plagued by infertility, tried a drug called Pergonal, they were prepared to have twins or possibly triplets. Surprise. A large portion of “Special Delivery” is spent on Becki’s tortuous pregnancy, which was in many ways a race against the clock, since every second a fetus spends in utero gives it a higher chance for survival, yet the human body is not meant to carry sextuplets and will inevitably exhaust its resources.

Parenting sextuplets seems almost as tricky as delivering them. In spite of the many items donated from various sources, Becki and Keith have experienced terrible financial troubles as well as practical difficulties. Their cheerful description of a typical outing with six toddlers sounds like a logistic nightmare.

“Special Delivery” is ultimately about the joy the Dilley’s have received from their children. It is a fun and optimistic book.