Grey Neck

In an unfortunate encounter with a fox, a little duck known as Grey Neck is crippled and cannot join the other birds in flight as they migrate to avoid the cold Russian winter. Before leaving, Grey Neck's mother tells him to stay near the center of the river where the water doesn't freeze. Grey Neck is rescued from loneliness by a perky but timid white rabbit. As the hole of water freezes up and grows smaller, the duck becomes more vulnerable and exposed to the fox's wiles. A hunter enters the scene, and the story reaches its unexpected but satisfying conclusion, in a telling that sometimes bristles with suspense. Rudolph's translation is straightforward and refined but retains the idiomatic flavor of another culture. Kronz's handsome illustrations combine pen-and-ink drawings with full-color paintings rendered in a realistic manner that is both elegant and compelling. Ages 3-7. (June)