MAGGIE'S WHOPPER

Maggie, seven, who enjoys fishing with Great-uncle Ezra, hopes to outdo her older brother by catching a real ``whopper.'' Meanwhile, despite her uncle's reassurance, she worries about meeting old Thatch, a bear they've sometimes sighted near their pond. Uncle Ezra suggests that the bear is ``an old man...like me'' and may even have died, but Thatch turns up in full vigor, breaking through a screen to steal a pie. Later, Maggie catches her whopper just as Thatch reappears, looking none too friendly. Uncle Ezra is visibly afraid, but Maggie manages to divert the bear by throwing him the fish. Several themes are introduced here—Uncle Ezra's frailty, coexistence with the bear, Maggie's rivalry with her offstage brother—but none is really developed; instead, Maggie gets her heroic moment. Still, a warmhearted vignette, attractively reflected in Ray's glowing generalized illustrations. (Picture book. 4-8)