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From The Critics: Children's Literature Inc. This is a unique fictional offering. Toady the toad and his friends Ryefield, the opossum and Darkwing the raven, begin an adventure. They see a tractor with a human and lament how the land has been ruined and the air polluted. Longswimmer, the frog leader, supports their observations and tells how their habitat is being destroyed. They ask how can they help, and Longswimmer tells about the "stone." Long ago there was a common language, so all creatures were able to communicate and work together to preserve the balance of the world. The time came when those watching the stone broke it up for the common good. From then on the challenge has been to unite the stone and place it once again upon the oracle, so that human and forest dwellers can communicate. The friends decide to accept the challenge and begin a very rough and heroic journey to unite the stone. The group finds the stone and with great effort, they push it into the well containing the oracle. At once, people in Mexico, England, Spain, Russia and the USA come together with the animal kingdom to discuss global warming, the environment and the dumping of chemicals. The heroes are welcomed back to their valley, all appearing the same, yet somehow different. |