Fiction (4-7)

Autumn should have been a season of contentment for the inhabitants of the Green Forest. Food was plentiful and all the young creatures born earlier in the year had been taught how to look out for themselves. It should not have been a sad time, but it was — because of the hunters and their long guns! Lightfoot the Deer was especially concerned. "There's nothing quite so terrible as being continually hunted," he thought. The handsome creature certainly had cause to worry, as young readers soon learn in this exciting and sensitively written tale by naturalist Thornton W. Burgess. With the opening of hunting season, Lightfoot finds himself pursued by a determined two-legged predator with a deadly weapon; and even with the help of his friends Sammy Jay, Paddy the Beaver, and — unexpectedly — a concerned human, Lightfoot faces constant threats to his survival. Young readers will find this exciting tale of a courageous animal filled with valuable lessons about nature and wildlife. Newly reset in large, easy-to-read type, the story is enhanced by Harrison Cady's original illustrations.