Tortoise and the Hare and Other Favorite Fables

The moral behind this four-volume miniature boxed set is, obviously, Good things come in small packages. The format lends itself especially well to the simplicity of fables; those here include The Grasshopper and the Ant, The Cat and the Mice, and The Stork and the Fox, as well as The Tortoise and the Hare. What gives this set its particular luster, however, is Percy's art. Classic colored-pencil illustrations, similar in style to those of L. Leslie Brooke, adorn the recto pages, while a series of tiny, well-chosen silhouettes accompany text on the verso pages. Still other silhouettes appear on the endpapers of all four books for a pleasing unifying effect. Percy has scaled his compositions carefully, with precisely the right amount of detail and with each palette harmoniously balanced. Both sophisticated and child-friendly. Ages 4-7. (Apr.)