The Foxbury Force

Once a month in the village of Foxbury, the Town Burglars stage a robbery to provide the local constabulary with a little policing practice. However, when the Foreman Burglar decides to speed off with the glittery proceeds from a jewelry heist, the foxy police force is obliged to follow in hot pursuit. Oakley's (the Church Mice books) unlikely text bubbles with wit (``He knew they were too honest to be trusted'') as it moves briskly through plot twists and good-natured surprises. Highly detailed illustrations extend the humor with small touches (foxes dressed down in flowery underwear, a country cottage sporting a cable dish) as the FPD shows little guile and less cunning. Especially appealing are scenes from the car chase and a set of inserts depicting the police force, truncheons at the ready, as they tiptoe through the darkness of an old castle. Much fun, and plenty of child-appeal. Ages 6-9. (Oct.)