cover image Coney Tale CL

Coney Tale CL

Paul Ratz De Tagyos, Paul Ratz de Tagyos. Clarion Books, $14.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-395-58834-5

In this winsome and unusual picture- book debut, windmills dot the lush, green landscape of 17th-century Flanders, where coneys (winsome, round rabbits whose faces are blank save two little eyes) dwell in a village called Conage. These good-natured creatures live peacefully, always eager to pitch in to help their fellow coneys. Since coneys ``love nothing better than feeding,'' there is understandably great excitement when a father and son discover that the village green's enormous tree is actually a giant carrot. Through his pleasantly understated text and humorous illustrations--the latter saturated with color and detail--Ratz de Tagyos shows how the resourceful coneys unearth the enticing carrot, on which they then feast for months. Skewed perspectives create an amiably pleas ingly offbeat effect in the clean, crisp artwork; multiple illustrations on several pages propel the action tale briskly. Youngsters will hope that this gifted storyteller's tales will multiply as rapidly as coneys. Ages 5-8. (Mar.)