THE SURPRISE FAMILY

A charmingly sagacious three-generation fable. When the chick hatches, her first sight is a boy who, in everything that matters, becomes her parent: He shows her ``how to find water and food and grit,'' teaches her to watch out for hawks and vacuum cleaners, and cuddles her ``under the edge of his quilt'' at night. Still, once grown, she builds a nest, so the boy finds her an orphaned clutch of eggs—duck eggs. History repeats itself, with a difference; the hen passes on the boy's lessons but must learn to accept her brood's fondness for water. The author's illustrations are wonderfully expressive. Adults will find the contrasts with ``The Ugly Duckling'' and the wholesome contemporary message diverting (Reiser is also a psychiatrist), but the subtexts never burden a story that is also sure to appeal to its intended audience. (Picture book. 3-8)