THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF

While Glen Rounds's version of this favorite (p. 378) is the best in a generation, this one and Bender's (below) each have their own merits. Arnold's discursive text is padded out with rather superfluous explanations, but it reads smoothly and will painlessly stretch reading vocabularies. His precisely cross- hatched illustrations set the tale in the mountains of the American West; the handsome goats are amusingly haughty yet realistic, while the troll is a squat, sturdy little man with pointy nose and ears, resembling a figure carved in wood (he ends up in the river, where he ``sank like a stone and never was heard from again''). Not essential, but an attractive addition. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8)ver was heard from again.'' Not essential, but an attractive addition. (Folklore/Picture book. 4- 8)