GRANDPA BEAR'S FANTASTIC SCARF
by Gillian Heal & illustrated by Gillian Heal
Grandpa Bear's Fantastic Scarf (32 pp.; $14.95; Mar. 15, 1997; 1- 885223-41-2): A little bear learns from his wise old grandfather about the weaving of a life—his grandfather's scarf is as long and multicolored as his years in this book. The old bear explains that the warp threads are the ``givens'' of a life, e.g., one's heritage, but that the colors and textures of the weft yarns can be as various as the weaver chooses. Salubrious thoughts, surely- -charmingly illustrated in watercolor—but the book is an onslaught of lessons rather than a story, and more likely to appeal to adults than to children. (Picture book. 4-7)