THE BEAR AND THE KINGBIRD

A vigorous, funny tale, this, rich in human- animal- and child-interest, especially as Lore Sepal renders it; but oh such banal, crowded, Richard-Scarry-like illustrations. A bear, piqued by the name ""kingbird,"" has a mind to look inside the royal nest; and, recoiling at the sight of the scruffy digs and scrawny nestlings, cries out: ""What a rotten palace! You're not royal children, you're a misbegotten bunch of low-down, no-good children!"" The youngsters are properly, and commendably, indignant: ""We are, we are so, good children, and our parents are good parents."" And, determined to get even and extract an apology, they instigate a war on the bear--""everything that flies"" against everything that walks. But once the four-footed beasts' general, the fox, is stung by a hornet, the animals take flight; and ""Grumble bear"" is forced to crawl to the baby kingbirds--on his knees, no less-and beg their pardon. Even with the trite pictures--and the medievalized page-design--a glorious example of the earthier, less hallowed Grimm canon.