THE BEAVER FAMILY BOOK

The naturalists who produced The Goose Family Book recount their experiences in adopting three Swedish beavers and naturalizing them near their Austrian home. Stealing the babies from their mother without apology (no comment on whether this was the entire brood), Klaus becomes their new ""mother,"" feeding and even sleeping with the little beavers, who sometimes snuggle into his sleeping bag wet from a swim. In two years, they have settled happily into their new habitat, building dams and two lodges, mating on schedule. The photos detailing these events are sharp and colorful, endowed with humor and the appeal of animals observed in both their own natural milieu and ours. The text is informative, although the European style of addressing the reader in the voice of a lecturing teacher on a field trip (""Now take a look at the beaver . . .What does a beaver family do. . .?) seems condescending to American ears. An attractive introduction to an interesting creature.