A POSSIBLE TREE

The Brackens are a rather belligerent family. Joe gives up on his coon hound when it won't help him hunt (a coon watches as the dog curls up to sleep under an accommodating fir); Mrs. Bracken flings her wash water at a pesky jay, which escapes to the same tree; their son's slingshot is aimed at squirrels, the hired hands' truck injures a fox—and all the animals find refuge in or under the old tree. Fortunately, its odd shape disqualifies it as lumber, but the woodsmen who cut surrounding trees mention it to the Brackens, who investigate it on Christmas Eve and find a veritable Peaceable Kingdom in its snowy branches. In Aldridge's spare, understated narrative, the outcome is a real surprise, with the thought-provoking ``we have met the enemy and they are us'' message ably supported in San Souci's capably composed, realistic watercolors. Pleasantly offbeat. (Picture book. 5-8)