In an environmental awareness-building story with two endings, Milo the mouse discovers a magic glowing stone and wonders how it will affect his people. By the author of The Rainbow Fish. 100,000 first printing. Kindergarten-Grade 2. Milo, a mouse who lives on a small mountain island, finds a glowing rock that provides both light and warmth on a cold winter night. Partway through the story, after a warning from wise Balthazar that if the mice take something from the island, they must return something, the book's pages are cut in half giving the story two different endings, one happy and one sad. These pages actually turn independently. While the two tales are well told, the first showing unselfish, caring mice, and the second the unfortunate consequences of greed, the contrivance makes the presentation heavy-handed, resulting in an offering that's more useful than entertaining. The watercolor illustrations are thoroughly engaging, and the golden rocks actually sparkle on the page. With his cocked ear and rotund figure, Milo is irresistible. It could well be that the lure of these island mice and the glamour of the golden rocks will be enough to entice readers over and over again.?Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. Pfister (Hopper's Treetop Adventure, p. 226, etc.) begins this book with his trademark fly-in-the-ointment approach: A happy bunch of cherubic cliff mice inhabit an idyllic island, where all is wonderful until winter forces the mice into dank, dark caves. One mouse, Milo, discovers a magical glowing stone (thereby allowing Pfister's other trademark--dazzling reflective elements--to take the stage) that provides heat. The other mice, understandably, would like stones for their caves. Balthazar, something of a sage, cautions that the stones belong to the island and something must be given in return for their use. The book's pages thus split in two: ``The Happy Ending'' appears on top, ``The Sad Ending'' below. The top story is predictable--each mouse fashions a decorative stone in gratitude. The bottom story takes a more compelling route, becoming a full-blown cautionary tale of the consequences of greed, envy, and environmental pillaging. In this duel of positive/negative examples, the negative clearly has more vigor and impact, and brings Pfister's message--about making wise ecological choices--home. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Marcus Pfister's 'Milo and the Magical Stones' comes with two endings-happy and sad, occupying split pages-to tell what happens when a glowing stone is handled with wisdom or with greed by mice who find it on their island. The tale is told with charm and decorated with gold foil. -- Parade Magazine Illustrations are sparkly gold from Marcus Pfister