Seymour and Opal

Seymour, a brown bunny, and Opal, his white-furred sister, lived in a human-style house. To reach her room, Opal must walk through her brother's domain, and Seymour discovers a way to capitalize on Opal's need. He installs a tollgate to his doorway and charges Opal a nickel each time she passes (""Seymour never forgot, and he grew very wealthy""). Opal, ever-patient, finally extracts vengeance on a rainy day when Seymour is bored. He wants to play, but she's too busy; he offers her two nickels for the privilege, but she, politely declining, holds out until he revokes the toll. Lopez Escriva's understated pencil-and-watercolor illustrations reflect the tale's quiet tension as well as its idiosyncrasies. The rabbits-akin to Mitra Modarressi's human characters-have egg-shaped heads, petite facial features and slender arms and legs; their home boasts a gently clashing array of checkerboard linoleum, scattered toys and delicately patterned wallpaper. Jussek shows how the rabbit siblings finally reach a compromise without coming to blows or screaming for their parents; hers is a useful and non-didactic story about not burning one's tollbridges. Ages 3-7. (Nov.)