Fickle!!! Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry

HELLO, TREE!

BUNNIES!!!

Declan is a little blue horned monster, whose potential scariness is softened by his shoe-button eyes and the pink pom-pom on his tail. And he is a little monster who finds everything in the forest exciting--especially four rabbits--shaped and colored like jelly beans.

The four bunnies, however, are not so pleased to meet up with him. To them, Declan is a scary-looking dude, and they hop off frantically and hide behind the trees.

BUNNIES?

Oh, nooo! They're gone! Declan is dejected. He liked those bunnies!!! He tries to distract himself by greeting other new things in the woods.

HELLO.... ROCK.

It's not the same.

But while Declan broods, the bunnies, each peeping stealthily from behind a tree, become more intrigued with Declan's interest. Just as the little monster slumps down against a tree to mope more effectively, one brave bunny approaches and taps him on the shoulder.

His bunnies are back!!!

Happy hops and hugs ensue, Declan is delighted with his new bunny buddies... until he spots something NEW!

BIRDIES!!!

In his latest, Bunnies!!! (Katherine Tegen Books, 2015), Kevan Atteberry features an appealing little monster whose toddler-like enthusiasms turn from one thing to another quickly. Atteberry's bright pastels and roly-poly characters, set forth in four-panel pages and double-page spreads, make this story especially attractive to mercurial preschoolers, who well understand the attraction of the next new thing.

Other books illustrated by Kevan Atteberry include Josie Bissett's Tickle Monster and Boogie Monster. (see my review here).

"Hoppy Days" Are Here Again: If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre

IF YOU'RE HOPPY AND YOU KNOW IT....

YOU'RE A FROG!

It's spring at last, and everyone--frogs, bunnies, crickets, and even grumpy people tired of woolly hats and darkling skies, are feeling a bit hoppy with joy.

Based on the idea and rhyme scheme of the popular nursery song "If You're Happy and You Know It," here comes April Pulley Sayre's joyfully new If You're Hoppy (Greenwillow, 2011), giving everyone an opportunity of stretch their legs and flap their wings under the spring sky. Even if there's still a bit of the winter blues hanging on, Sayre has a rhythmic rhyme to pull you out of your winter funk. If you're still feeling "growly," you might be a dog...or worse a bear, or perhaps ....

... A TUMMY OVER THERE!"

What youngster could resist singing and acting out lines like

IF YOU'RE SLOPPY AND YOU KNOW IT...

YOU'RE A HOG!

Sayre's text is buoyed by the charming and ebullient cartoon-style illustrations of Jackie Urbanovic, author-illustrator of the best-selling Duck series, which seem to bounce into motion on the page. This is a great storytime book with lots of possibilities for movement and song, for springtime and Eastertide, which, as School Library Journal says, is “sure to be a storytime staple!"

Can't Shush Suki: Suki, the Very Loud Bunny by Carmela and Steven D'Amico

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BUNNIES ARE SOFT, FUZZY, SHY LITTLE CREATURES WHO SPEND THEIR LIVES HOPPING THROUGH FIELDS, NUZZLING VEGETABLES, AND BARELY MAKING A SOUND.

Well, meet Suki. That little ring around her left eye tells you that she's a girl bunny who likes to stand out in a crowd and who likes to make herself heard. Suki likes hopping right into mud puddles and making a big splash. She likes giving her brothers and sisters a loud wake-up call in the early morning, and following butterflies, hoping to learn the secret of fluttering above the ground. Even Momma's stern warning that she's had just about enough of Suki's exuberant noise for one day doesn't quash her free spirit, despite her apology and temporary intentions to be a good and quiet little bunny.

But adventure calls, and when brother Mickey is too timid to take off across the field on a carrot expedition, Suki sets off on her own. This little runaway bunny has a wonderful time out in the open until she spots something long and pointed, orange and yummy just ahead. Ooops! In her excitement, Suki fails to notice that that tempting carrot is the bait in a box-and-stick deadfall trap, and only Suki's powerful hops unbox her and save her from capture. Suddenly, Suki wishes she were curled up quiet and safe in Momma's burrow like Mickey. And Suki still has that one well-honed asset:

"MOMMIE!"

Carmela and Steven D'Amico's latest, Suki, The Very Loud Bunny (Dutton, 2011) is proof that a well-loved premise can always prosper in the hands of a skilled practicioners. Carmela D'Amico, creator of the popular Ella the Elephant books, creates just the right amount of danger and suspense in this tale of the little adventurer in the tradition of the timeless Peter, and Steven D'Amico's soft shapes and skillful use of color make this story a charming read. Pair it with the Caldecott-winning Kevin Henkes' newest bunny tale in this same genre, Little White Rabbit, (Greenwillow, 2011) (see my recent review here) for a pair of bedtime bunny stories that bring it all home, right where all little bunnies should be at bedtime.