FRISKA: The Sheep That Was Too Small

The other sheep laugh at Friska because she fails to grow; as the year turns, she tries to look larger by covering herself successively with snow, cherry blossoms, and an extra fleece at shearing time, all to no avail. But her problem is solved forever when she becomes a heroine by chasing away a wolf--hardly likely or original, though Lewis' double-spread illustrations, employing several techniques including scratchboard and spattered paint, are luminous, lovely, and evocative of their setting in Britain's sheep-covered hills and dales.