We Love Them

This deceptively simple story possesses a distinctive warmth all its own. A small boy tells of the bond that forms between Ben, the family dog, and Zoe, a lost rabbit that the boy and his sister Becky adopt. Each animal thinks the other is one of its own species: ``They didn't know they'd got it wrong. Becky said we wouldn't tell them.'' One day old Ben dies; the children and their rabbit grieve. A puppy is found in the hay, however, and becomes a loving friend to the threesome--and Zoe thinks the new dog, Little Ben, is a rabbit also. Filled with affectionate details of country life, Firth's pastel-colored washes and Waddell's theme--new bonds forming even in the aftermath of loss--will be a source of comfort. Ages 4 - 7. (Apr.)