SNAKE HUNT

Granddad's yarns of bear chasing and rattlesnake wrassling come back to haunt him when Grandma shoos him and Jesse out of the house, archly suggesting that they hunt up a snake for dinner. Kastner bases her tale on memories of hiking the Tennessee mountains with her grandfather; her dappled, impressionistic watercolors capture the late summer woods perfectly. Tension mounts as a huge rattler, painted in dark, menacing colors, looms in Jesse's mind's eye—until a sudden breeze rattles leaves and sends her and Grandad leaping back. Sitting on a log to collect themselves, they don't notice the snake quietly coiled at its base, but agree that it's time to head home. A deftly comic tale, with the girl and her granddad sharing their apprehension and relief. (Picture book. 6-8)