A Tale of Two Beasts

Roberton (Cuckoo!) spins a clever he-said/she-said story about a girl's rescue of a squirrel-like creature in the woods. At least, that's how she sees it. After she describes her oh-so-thoughtful adoption of the animal ("I wrapped him warmly up in my scarf, and carried him safely home%E2%80%9D), the story restarts, now told from the animal's point of view ("I was ambushed by a terrible beast!%E2%80%9D he cries. "She growled at me, and tied me up, and carried me off to her secret lair%E2%80%9D). By flipping between the stories, readers can spot subtle but telling differences in the ways Roberton frames her tidily illustrated scenes. In the first account, when the girl makes a cardboard box home for the animal, the bird's-eye view includes the art supplies the girl has used to decorate it and the animal-care books she's been studying. In the second go-around, a ground-level view puts readers inside the box, making it feel like a claustrophobic jail (albeit one with adorable hand-drawn d%C3%A9cor). It's a smart and not-too-serious introduction to the idea of empathy%E2%80%94and boundaries. Ages 5%E2%80%939. (Mar.)