The generic Jacques yarn features an intrepid mouse aided by a stalwart squirrel, a bumbling, country-accented but doughty mole or hedgehog, and a seemingly foppish but actually steely hare; these precious few face a monstrous warlord (here, a weasel) and his motley crew. Overcoming all vicissitudes, they storm an evil hold, scale cliffs, and invoke the spirit of animals past while keeping up their present spirits with nature's bounty--endless cordials, nut-breads, and berry comfits. Lately, a heroic maid, too, appears, a leader of animals yet sweet to the core. The unmelancholy Jacques follows the pattern to the dot with this current offering, a tale of the origins of Redwall Abbey's founder. The language may be hackneyed, but it works; young readers love the derring do, and only a churl would reject this morality play in fur. Enjoy. (Fiction. 8-12)
