Hip Hop! The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits by Douglas Florian

THE HABITS OF RABBITS ARE MANY, NOT FEW.

WITH PLENTY OF THINGS THAT THEY LOVE TO DO.

IN SPRING THERE'S SMELLING THE FRAGRANCE OF FLOWERS.

IN SUMMER THERE'S SWIMMING AND LAZING FOR HOURS.

There are many and diverse rabbits, doing varied and glorious things in this woodland scene--one fat black-and-white bunny rests in a lump, grey rabbits sniff the breeze, a pair of brown cottontails sit on their haunches and stretch tall to survey the grassy field, and one gives his ear a good scratch with a handy hind foot.

They race with their cousins, and hitch a ride on Pop's back. They dig holes, frighten frogs, and give a start to moles. But these rabbits do more than rabbitty things: in winter they build a snow bunny, and slide down snowy slopes, and if there's music, they provide the percussion with plenty of thumps. And when day is done, the little bunnies know just what to do.

ONE HABIT OF RABBITS THAT'S NOT TO BE MISSED,

IS SAYING GOOD NIGHT WITH A HUG AND A KISS.

As good storytellers do, Douglas Florian brings it all back just in time for bed in his just-published;The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits (Little Bee Books, 2016).  Florian crafts his couplets in bouncy, bunny-evoking rhymes that kids will compete to complete along with the text, and artist Sonia Sanchez offers up a cast of comfortable conies having a jolly good time throughout the seasons. In her cozy mixed media illustrations Sanchez  makes the best of the lithe and lovely curvy shapes of her bunnies and the lovely greening woodland scenes, punctuated by digital accents of red summer poppies and orange autumn leaves as the rabbits enjoy all the times of the year. A treat for eye and ear, this one is perfect for springtime or anytime fare.

Strength in Numbers: Ninja Bunny by Jennifer Gray Olsen

HOW TO BE A SUPER AWESOME NINJA

Rule 1: A super-awesome ninja must always work alone.

Our little bunny, wearing his midnight-blue ninja gear, is determined to be awesome. The Ninja Rules say he should be super sneaky, possess awesome strength, achieve invisibility, create Ninja weapons, and be a super awesome climber.

While a dozen or so ninja-wannabe-bunnies watch as if they want to join the fun, Ninja Bunny shows awesome focus on his training. swinging his throwing star and monkey fist, both fitted out with purloined carrots, like he means it.

But some of the rules get a little intimidating. "Master flying?"  "Battle anyone, anywhere, any time???"

What about a big angry brown bear?

"UH-OH."

Suddenly little Ninja Bunny hears a welcome sound, a chorus of awesome voices.

HI-YAH!!

It's the cadre of his would-be ninja bunny buddies charging to his rescue with all the right moves, as the big bad bear exits hastily, page right.

It's one for all and all for one in Jennifer Gray Olson's Ninja Bunny (Alfred A. Knopf Books, 2015).

Rule 1 is over-ruled and from now on, Ninja Bunny goes nowhere without his squadron of super-ninja-bunnies. In her oh-so-cute ink and watercolor illustrations, Olson's empathetic illustrations show off just how far from awesome her self-aggrandizing little Ninja's imagined feats really are.

Fun for little Ninjas and ninja-lovers, this one pairs well with H. D. Wilson's Ninja Boy Goes to School and Barbara DaCosta's Nighttime Ninja see reviews here).

Hares to You! Rabbityness by Jo Empson

RABBIT LIKED DOING RABBITY THINGS.

Rabbit is black, long-eared, with bristling whiskers which give him an energetic, even frenetic look.
But he seems pretty prosaic--he likes jumping, hopping, burrowing, settling down in a patch of clover for a nap.

But he has another side:

RABBIT LIKED DOING UN-RABBITY THINGS.

HE LIKED PAINTING...

AND MAKING MUSIC.

Rabbit is a painting bunny to delight the heart of Jackson Pollock. His abstract expressionistic splatters and drips adorn the forest, with a few splashes of color even landing on his own ears.

And how he plays that horn! When he blows that vividly painted Alpine horn, colorful notes fill the forest. Rabbit opens up new ways of being a bunny to all his friends.

But then one day Rabbit is gone. He is nowhere to be seen, and there's not a trace of him, not even at his burrow.

THE WOODS WERE VERY QUIET AND GREY.
ALL THAT RABBIT HAD LEFT WAS A DEEP, DARK HOLE.

Rabbit's friends mourn the loss of his company, his love of life, his genius.

But then, deep in his hole, they find his paints and his horn. At first they seem just sad reminders of what they have lost. But then they understand what he has left them. They can't create just like Rabbit did. No one ever could. But he has given them something--the IDEA that they could create their own color and sound the way he had shown them.

THEY FILLED THE WOODS WITH COLOR AND MUSIC ONCE AGAIN.

Artist-author Jo Empson's Rabbityness (Child's Play, 2012) is a beautiful picture book, alive with color and the joy of the creation of beauty, which also speaks directly to the feeling of loss, the loss of an individual and the loss of that special genius that such loss can bring. It offers comfort in the rebirth of the essence that is so deeply missed, the essence that continues to offer value and joy. A simple story with a deep meaning that speaks to the heart. "An imaginatively designed lesson in creativity and loss," says Kirkus Reviews.

'S No Valentine: Snowy Valentine by David Petersen

On a snowy Valentine's Day, Jasper Bunny still could not think of a gift good enough for Lilly. Jasper loved his wife very much, so he couldn't give her just any old gift.

Ah, a common dilemma. The greater the devotion, the harder the choice.

Jasper decides to seek the wisdom of the group and sets forth down the steep hillside in the snow to see what kind of Valentine gifts his neighbors are giving their near and dear.

The Porcupines are settled around a cozy fire, with all seven porcupine pups knitting away on a scarf for their mama. They are all too happy to teach Jasper their art, but Jasper is all thumbs, and after extricating himself from the tangled yarn, concludes that knitting is not for him.

Marion the Frog's window glows with yellow light and she eagerly shows off her special gift for her beloved--a heart-shaped box stuffed with hand-dipped chocolate-covered flies.

"Definitely not something my Lilly would enjoy!" Jasper muses.

Jasper plods on through the snow and meets up with Everett Raccoon's colorful gypsy caravan, his bouquets in full display, hoping for a last-minute Valentine's Day sale. But, alas, the flowers have wilted in the chill, and frost-bitten posies don't exactly make the statement he's after. Jasper trudges on through the snow until he comes to the cottage of Teagan the Fox, his mullioned windows glowing with firelight inside. Teagan welcomes him warmly and quickly ushers him inside. But then, things take an unfortunate turn:

"I do understand," says Teagan with an ingratiating smile. "I myself have been hunting all day for a Valentine's gift to impress my vixen, Faith--

And I think rabbit stew would be just the ticket!"

Egad! Things have come to a pretty pass, Jasper muses, as he finds himself literally in the soup! Either Faith Fox or Lilly Rabbit is going to be seriously disappointed on this Valentine's Day!

But love will find a way, and there will be a Valentine surprise in store for Lilly and for readers in David Petersen's Snowy Valentine (Harper, 2011)--a huge heart-shaped Valentine in the snow, created by Jasper's faithful tracks, and Lilly's happiness will be complete.

David Petersen, whose graphic style is familiar from his popular Mouse Guard series, is at his best in his first color picture book. Although his plotline breaks no new trails through the well-trodden February story snowscape, his illustrations, black-line drawings, bright with delicate and luminous watercolor, have great charm, evoking hobbit-y homes or the seven dwarves' cozy cottage: Miriam Frog's little random-stone house features rounded glowing windows, their mullioned panes forming spiderweb shapes, and Petersen's interiors recall the snug dwellings of Frog and Toad, Winnie the Pooh, and other classic characters. Publishers Weekly also puts Petersen in very good artistic company, writing "Petersen’s storytelling and artwork offer hints of Beatrix Potter and Kenneth Grahame. It’s a world that readers will be happy to lose themselves in."

A Suitcase Named Desire: Hey, Rabbit! by Sergio Ruzzier

"HEY, RABBIT! IS THERE ANYTHING FOR ME IN YOUR SUITCASE?" ASKED CRAB.

"MAYBE A SHELL WITH THE SOUND OF THE SEA?"

It seems everyone wants a wish granted by Rabbit's magic blue suitcase. Cat asks for a ball of yarn to play with, and when Rabbit obliges by opening his valise, a whole room of yarn appears, big balls, small balls, skeins and skeins of yarns in every color of the rainbow--all for Cat's amusement. Dog gets, not just a bone, but a birthday cake made of bones; Crab gets a whole coral reef with abalone, an octopus, bright tropical fish, and, yes, a shell as well. Rat wishes for a piece of cheese and finds a medieval castle town, all made of delicious dairy stuff.

Sergio Ruzzier's wish-fulfillment fantasy, Hey, Rabbit! (Roaring Brook Press, 2010) features a quizzical blue-eyed rabbit with, not a basket of pastel goodies, but a nondescript little suitcase, which he pushes onto page one of this imaginative picture book and which opens into everyone's heart's desire, displayed on beautiful double-page spreads. There is a tropical forest for Toucan, and a soft pillow and bed, spread with a honeybee-sprinkled comforter. for a sleepy Bear.

But what about their benefactor, the long-eared wizard of wishes?

HEY! IS THERE SOMETHING FOR ME IN MY SUITCASE?

Rabbit is not the only master of magic here! The illustrator has a surprise in his bag of tricks, for when Rabbit's suitcase opens one last time, it opens to a full spread of friends, Dog, Crab, Bear, Cat, Toucan, and a well-stuffed cheese-loving Rat--and, just for Rabbit, a delicious radish that he didn't even know he wanted!

Ruzzier's fantasy of desires and of friendship offers engaging illustrations and a mind-opening little tale of wishes granted. As the writer for Kirkus Reviews puts it, "The colors are soft and clear; the line is vivacious and the little anthropomorphized animals are sweet. Their satisfied imaginations fill whole pages, and friendship emanates from every wriggle."(Starred Review)