THE GREAT REDWALL FEAST

Anyone familiar with Jacques's Redwall series will have fond memories of the mouthwatering feasts prepared for every celebration: damson pie with meadowcream, hazelnut tart, and beetroot soup. Here, told with a rhyming text and for the first time in a full-color picture-book format, Jacques chronicles the hustle and bustle of preparations for a surprise feast in honor of the old abbot. Fat Friar Hugo directs the show, cellarmaster Ambrose Spike and his hedgehog crew are in charge of beverages, and Bungo the molechild is everywhere stealing tastes: ``Dodging 'round ovens,/or hiding 'neath a table,/nothing edible is safe from one so small and able.'' Meanwhile the abbot takes a loyal following on a quest that only looks crazy, but proves masterful. The long, long verse is spirited and humorous, and Denise's affectionate, detailed watercolors bring all the action to life. The mentions of favorite characters seem intended for readers of the novels, but the book's real use may be to introduce a new generation to the Redwall family. (Picture book. 7-10)