GRANDFATHER'S DREAM

There's disagreement in Nam's Vietnamese village: His grandfather hopes that, now the war is over, cranes will return to the area set aside for them; but Mama and Papa (among others) want to plant rice there. As planned, the monsoon floods the cranes' reserve with water held by the new dikes; but after the dry season's return the village committee decides to wait for the cranes until the next rains, but no longer. Then Nam's dog finds a crane nestling and gives it to him, unhurt. Papa and Nam make sure that there's a whole flock of the birds before telling Grandfather, and, after all, everyone rejoices. Keller's narration, based on her experience with an Earthwatch project, is suffused with the affection between the boy and his grandfather and the warm security of their community, a strong setting for a debate that epitomizes the worldwide struggle between land use and conservation. Her simple, stylized art is both handsome as pure design and effective as narrative illustration with appeal for young children. A fine contribution. (Picture book. 4-8)