TALES FOR A WINTER'S EVE

Family and friends comfort little Freddy Fox by telling him stories as he recuperates from a spill off his skis. The three stories they tell--like Stevenson's wild tall-tales about Grandpa's youth--are inspired by Freddy's complaints: e.g., he's too hot, so Bert Blue Jay tells about the time a shoplifter, Smart the Weasel, was caught when the butter concealed under his hat melted; he's bored, so Nellie Mouse tells about the time a visit from her city cousins was enlivened by discovering that a traveling monster was actually a hoax. Each time, a miscreant gets a satisfying comeuppance--literally, in the case of the greedy raccoon who eats more than his share of ""lighter than air"" muffins. These rather quiet stories are framed by a chapter introducing the characters and a tucking-in conclusion; the author's neatly drawn, delicately colored illustrations add a touch of humor to her cozy, animal-fantasy world. A pleasant book for reading aloud to preschoolers or for use as a young reader.