The power of maternal love fuels this fantasy. Hazel, a whimsical badger who wears a girl's wide-brimmed hat, blouse and skirt, strolls her doll around town. On the way home, she becomes lost. She is set upon by buck-toothed beaver Doris and her two friends, who unstuff her doll and throw her carriage into the lake. Just in time, a gust of wind blows mother into the tree under which Hazel stands (attributed to the power of love), and the bullies are ordered to repair the doll and retrieve her carriage. Large-format black-ink drawings with comic detail are solidly filled in with cheerful bright watercolors. Hazel's almost illuminant yellow blouse focuses attention on her on each page. A well-crafted fantasy with quality illustrations that relates to many story time themes, this deserves first purchase consideration. When reading the book aloud, though, please warn children that they, unlike Hazel, should not be taking shelter under a tree during a lightning storm. Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Ohio Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.