A very French story (translation not credited) that speaks directly to kids' universal aversion to adult condescension: Jack Carrot is so fed up with verbal pats on the head that he resolves to become ""most rascally"" and robs a bank--with not only a pistol but a bow and arrow, a dagger, and a sword. Jailed, he meets Jim Radish (who killed a hunter who was trying to eat him); they escape, but must hide out (with Grandfather's help) till the police forget about them. The author's vigorous story is humorously extended by the bold illustrations--stylized rabbits with very long, expressive ears; dramatic groves of birches; and generous use of rich black, especially in the prison scenes. Imaginative and stimulating.