Second-grader Gooney Bird Green returns in this story with a moral. After Miss Pidgeon reads her class an Aesop's fable, the kids write their own stories with a message. As in previous books, Gooney takes the lead, as much of a junior teacher as she is kid. The recitation of five or six original fables becomes a bit boring, but Lowry nicely individualizes her characters and gets readers interested in their problems. It will take good primary-grade readers to tackle this; it may work best as a read-aloud. Ilene Cooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved