NEWF

Basing her tale on a legend heard on the GaspÇ Peninsula, Killilea tells a sweet story about a Newfoundland—a huge, bear- like dog—and a kitten. Mysteriously, ``the Newf'' appears on shore on a spring day and moves into an abandoned cottage, where there's already a thin but feisty kitten. The Newf procures a fish and shares it; the kitten playfully tackles his tail, and the two make an affectionate alliance. A bit of drama is added by a summer rescue of the kitten from the waves and by one in the winter from a snowslide, but the real appeal here is in the relationship, especially as portrayed in Schoenherr's lovely, elementally simple paintings, which have virtually no details- -just sea, sky, grass or snow, an occasional glimpse of the cabin, and the immense, gentle black dog and his tiny companion. And then what? Better not ask. Charming. (Picture book. 4-8)