ROBBERY AT FOXWOOD

When Mr. McGruffey's grocery store is robbed, Willy Hedgehog, Harvey Mouse, and Rue Rabbit devise an ingenious plan to capture the robbers.

Grade 1-3 A British import which employs the stereotypical "untrustworthy gypsies" as the villains. Harvey mouse, Rue rabbit and Willy hedgehog have broken Mr. Gruffey's window. The animal children vow to make restitution the next day, but during the night the grocery store is robbed. The friends search nearby fields and woods, where they enlist aid from a scarecrow, who informs them that a band of weasel gypsies recently passed by with a loaded cart. The thieves are easily deceived, and, returning home with the groceries, the boys are greeted by a jubilant Mr. Gruffey, family and friends. The imaginative, detailed illustrations are delicate, muted-color paintings, reminiscent of those of Beatrix Potter. The sophisticated vocabulary and small print make this more appropriate as a read-aloud than as a beginning reader. Joan Hamilton Bowman, Bucks County Free Library, Bensalem, Pa.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.