BUSHBABY

A talented illustrator sets forth on her first solo effort, an engaging pourquoi tale: Yearning for the best figs, little Bushbaby takes a low-tide path to a tree guarded by a sleeping- -but fierce—monitor lizard. The figs are luscious, but the awakened lizard and incoming tide together hold Bushbaby for an anxious night in the tree; then a daring leap propels him safely back toward his waiting mother. The story here is not as tautly plotted as others Kennaway has illustrated (e.g. Hot Hippo, 1986, by Hadithi), and the ``why'' element seems tacked on (bushbaby gets a stomach ache because ``your eyes are bigger than your stomach!'' says his mother). Still, this is a satisfying tale of venturing forth and making it safely home; the luminous, beautifully designed watercolors nicely augment the drama while evoking the African wildlife and shore. (Picture book. 4-8)*justify no*