BEAVERS BEWARE!

In the ``Bank Street Ready-to-Read'' series, Level 2, a ``fact-based'' confrontation with nature, dedicated ``To Fred, who shared the experience,'' that cries out for a bit more information about the events that inspired the intriguing story. A girl and her parents notice peeled, pointed sticks on the dock near their wilderness home. The mystery is soon solved: beavers are building a lodge on this unusual foundation, undeterred by the nearby humans. Mom protests about the many trees that the beavers are cutting; no one likes their strong smell; and there's talk of calling the game warden to move the unwelcome tenants. But then a storm looses the dock and it floats down the river- -lodge, beavers, and all. In McCully's appealing pen-and- watercolor illustrations, readers will enjoy spotting the beavers even before the young narrator does. Competently written for the intended level, as well as informative and thought-provoking, but these values are somewhat undermined by the absence of an explanatory note. (Easy reader. 5-8)