Rabbit Spring

Wild rabbits Silla and Rahm raise a family of seven across a field from a family of hares. This charming tale explains how each family fends for itself. The rabbits live in a burrow underground, where the relatively frail children are protected by both parents, who share housekeeping in a ebullient, egalitarian spirit; the young hares, equipped with pelts and fully grown ears, dwell less securely under bushes with a mother, but no father (``As far as I'm concerned,'' she sniffs, ``that is just the way it ought to be''). Curiosity and a competitive drive lead Gray-Ears the hare to wonder, ``Do the young rabbits have a better life?'' But the answer is that the rabbits' lives are not better--just different. Bhend's exquisite pen-and-ink illustrations--from a cozy internecine view of a rabbit warren to spot art picturing a hairless, helpless rabbit infant--portray the dangers and comforts of the animals' everyday lives with quiet humor. Ages 7-11. (Mar.)