A JAR FULL OF MICE

In an unabashed, remarkably successful imitation of Beatrix Potter, Wallis (Something Nasty in the Cabbages, p. 1017) concocts an appealing cat-and-mouse drama. When the new cook demands a cat to oust the numerous mice, three are introduced; the first, a ``Persian queen,'' is far too well bred to work; the second, an alley cat, devotes himself to singing and dancing in the moonlight; and the third is more of a menace. But after a flurry of activity during which the mice hide in a ginger jar, and after the subsequent uproar when the cook discovers them, the true mouser is banished, the cook flees, and the mice are left in peaceful coexistence with the two remaining cats. Wallis's narration is lively, beautifully cadenced, and full of apt, economical turns. Her diminutive illustrations are precisely executed and charmingly detailed. A companion book, Pip's Adventure, concerning a greedy, fat dog stuck in a rabbit hole, has a more derivative plot but is also expertly told and beautifully illustrated. These little gems are worthy to share the small-book shelf with their eminent predecessors. (Picture book. 4-8)