A STRANGE SERVANT
translated by Blanche Ross & illustrated by Paul Galdone
A rabbit is pawned off as an obedient messenger by a poor peasant who thereby outwits three rich merchants. We've met the same "strange servant" in Middle Eastern lore; here it's attributed to "the Moslem region of Russia" and illustrated accordingly. With the merchants outbidding each other for possession of the marvelous rabbit, and the peasant successfully blaming its new owner for the animal's unreliability, it's a good joke in any language—though Galdone's pictures, accessible as ever, haven't the variety Or (surprisingly) the story-telling thrust that any tale requires.