HOPPER'S TREETOP ADVENTURE

A modest adventure involving an ambitious bunny, a tall tree, and some hazelnuts. One fine morning, Hopper informs his mother that he's heading for the woods to snack on hazelnuts. She gently reminds him that nuts aren't found in spring, and that hares don't usually eat nuts—``I suppose it's because we can't climb trees.'' Hopper pads off to the woods anyway, where he meets a squirrel. Hopper helps the squirrel locate his lost nut horde, and the squirrel shows Hopper how to get up into a tree where they can eat the nuts in peace. Getting down is another matter, but with the help of a friendly woodpecker and an accommodating stag, Hopper makes it back home with a hazelnut surprise for his mother, and a story about climbing trees as well: ``I don't think I'll do it again. It was too scary.'' That comes as a bit of a surprise, after all the fun he has had. Despite the overprotective edge, Pfister's peaceable kingdom is as tidy and secure as ever, a safe haven to which children can turn when the everyday world gets too confusing. The soft watercolors wash the whole event with angelic light. (Picture book. 5-8)