Beautiful. The boy's adventure with the talking animals, as we learn animals' true natures (for example, owls aren't really wise, and mice aren't naturally domestic), is a lot of fun. But the fable of the rabbits' dance of ecstasy makes the story stick with a reader. Yay for discovering Benchley's children's books! ( )

Easy-to-read story (big font and simple words) about Fendall, a mouse treated as a pet by Lonny Stebbins, a young boy. But the most dynamic character is Feldman, Fendall's uncle, who takes Fendall under his wing and teaches him to not only survive but also strive for a transcendental moment.

Feldman has seen a picture of rabbits dancing (standing up in a circle and jumping as high as they can) under the full moon and wants to do the same. SPOILER: He manages to gather a group who do so, and it is wonderful, but (since Lonny is too sick to protect them with his presence) Feldman does not survive the dance. Fendall, who goes off to live as a fieldmouse at the end, wants to dance again. ( )