Miss Josephine's Secret Walk

In this Japanese import, a rabbit named Miss Josephine puts on her mother's skirt, some powder and a touch of lipstick, and walks outside feeling mature and elegant. Agnes the duck and Katy the mouse join her to play and all of them end up in the river, floating downstream. Miss Josephine's necklace breaks and the shiny red beads are scattered all around. Then the story shifts inexplicably: ""The red beads are now wild berries.'' They carry a basket of these berries home to their worried parents. With a little more care this may have worked well as a story of youngsters on the loose. Kobayashi's artistic talent is unquestionable; his realistic animals are a likable lot, each instilled with a child's love for playing pretend, having adventures and discovering new experiences. Another nice touch: the artist advances the story at a pell-mell pace by showing one character at three different stages in the actionthe feeling of motion on the pages is cinematic. All ages. (March)