BELLA'S SECRET GARDEN

When Bella, a young rabbit, ventures into the Pringles' garden during the day, the cat catches her; rescued by a young boy, she is taken, by bike basket, to a distant field full of grass and friendly rabbits. This British import gleans no drama from its true-to-life series of events, but is distinguished by well-designed, carefully realistic paintings--the rabbit warren in a new housing development, the lush garden, the misty landscape, the cat (more curious than fierce), the engaging but accurate rabbit--all represented with sculptural solidity from a rabbit-high point of view. The text is relatively easy, with a few words such as ""lurched"" to stretch vocabulary and skill. At the price, a good buy for its illustrations and for its insight into some part of the life of the rabbit.