The Rat's Daughter: From an Old Tale

A popular narrative tradition holds that ambitious parents seek only the best possible mate for their offspring. According to Cook, rats are not excluded from this tendency, especially those from ``old and noble families,'' whose daughter, in this case, ``was the loveliest of rat girls.'' This heroine's mother, determined that her daughter not wed ``a mere rat,'' visits--with her recalcitrant husband--the sun, the clouds and the wind as possible husbands. In the end, however, the girl's protests and the wisdom of a self-effacing wooden wall lead to the inevitable happy ending. This cautionary story, drawn primarily from The Brown Fairy Book (and traceable to an old Japanese folktale) is here given a frolicsome twist, as Cook seasons his rendition with hearty doses of humor and a layer of gentle mockery. But it is the illustrations, ranging from the whimsical (a tea party of dowager rats discuss marital possibilities) to the opulent (the sun's ``golden palace,'' a rococo facade complete with dragon guardians), that take center stage. In his pictures' coloration, composition and dramatic sensibility, Cook's theatrical background shines through. Ages 3-8. (Mar.)