What In The World? What The World Could Make: A Story of Hope by Holly M. McGhee

WINTER WHITE FLAKES, A GIFT FROM THE SKY.

"I WISH IT WOULD SNOW FOREVER." SAID BUNNY.

"FOR ALWAYS?" ASKED RABBIT.

"NO, NOT THAT KIND OF FOREVER..." SAID BUNNY. "THE KIND OF FOREVER WHERE YOU REMEMBER IT WHEN IT ENDS," RABBIT SAID.

Tiny white flakes fall against a soft grey sky. Rabbit and Bunny lie on their backs and let them fall, until Rabbit gets up to make a snowball for Bunny--shaped by him, but given by the sky.

In a beautiful world where the friends sniff lilacs blooming in spring and Bunny makes a crown of blooms for Rabbit... In a beautiful world where two rabbits splash in the summer sea shallows and bite into crunchy sea cucumbers...

"A GIFT FROM THE SUN AND THE SEA AND THE SAND..."

And a world in which yellow gingko leaves form magical drifts of gold for the two to jump into... to remember forever....

A world where bunnies climb trees and make snowballs, play in the ocean, and splash in golden leaves, that is the world we visit in Holly M. McGhee's What the World Could Make: A Story of Hope.

In the charming and glorious illustrations by Pascal Lamaitre, two little white rabbits remind us of the many lovely but fleeting beauties of the natural world, too transient to keep, but worth remembering always. Making a memory is a skill, and this gentle story reminds grownups and teaches youngsters that the real gold, the lasting value, is in our memories--if we learn to save them. Says Kirkus Reviews, "The two good pals joyfully exult in yet another bounty of the world in this gentle tale of sharing and seasonal splendor... Sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet."

Where There's a Will, There's a Way: Shy Willow by Cat Min

THERE WAS ONCE A RABBIT NAMED WILLOW.

WILLOW DIDN'T LIKE BEING OUTSIDE.

There were cars speeding by and soccer balls to dodge out there. But one day something novel happened inside: a blue envelope slipped through the mail slot into her house. Willow read the letter.

Dear Moon,

It's my Mom's birthday tomorrow. If you're not too busy, could you shine your brightest at midnight?

(Signed) Theo in the purple house on Eris Street.

It was a very sweet request, but Willow knew that someone was going to have to make a personal delivery of the letter. Who? And how?

WILLOW COULDN'T DO IT. ...COULD SHE?

She tries jumping with her strong rabbity legs, but falls far short. She climbs a tree, she hitches a ride on the back of a bird, but all those efforts, er, fall short.

But with a little storybook magic, Willow finds a way to deliver Theo's letter, and that night at midnight... a bright and full Moon comes down and shines right over Theo's house.

THEO AND HIS MOM SEE THE MOON!

Employing soft, wispy mixed media, Min creates gentle scenes give a dreamy quality that befits this tale of courage and empathy with a stranger that brings a new friendship.

Where there's a will, there's ... Willow! in Cat Min's brand-new Shy Willow (Levine Querido, 2021), a gentle fantasy with illustrations striking enough to make this gentle story a moving read-aloud and a message that venturing forth into the world to help someone is well-worth the telling in this self-absorbed world. A special story for a special child.

Says Publishers Weekly, "Employing watercolor and colored pencil, Min creates gentle scenes—the most striking of which are wordless—that radiate with hints of sunset pink, lending a luminous quality that befits this earnest tale of bravery begetting self-realization."

WILD THING! Wolfboy by Andy Harkness

THE MOON WAS FULL.

Of course it was.

WOLFBOY WAS HUNGRY.

And not a rabbit in sight. Where are they?

Wolfboy was ...

HUNGRY!

Wolfboy stomped through the dark woods and through the clouded creek, and slogged his way through the soggy bog, not noticing the snorkel-masked rabbit watching from underwater or the one hiding under a lily pad.

HE WAS HUNGRY AND HUFFY AND DROOLY.

"RABBITS! WHERE ARE YOU?"

He climbs an old oak tree, not spotting the rabbits running out of the forest. He marches across Moonberry Meadow getting even more cranky.

WOLFBOY WAS HUNGRY AND HUFFY AND DROOLY AND GRUMPY AND FUSSY!!

Where are those wascally wabbits?

But what's that he spies in the tall grass? Rabbit ears? He charges, his snout wide open as the rabbits keep coming. But what's that they are all carrying high over their heads?

"WE MADE YOU A MOONBERRY PIE!"

WOLFBOY CRUNCHED AND MUNCHED..

.

YUMMY! Wolfboy is...

... HAPPY!

All's well that ends with a well-fed Wolfboy in Andy Harkness' jolly story of besting the Hungries, Wolfboy (Bloomsbury, 2021), illustrated delightfully with author-illustrator Harkness' clay sculptures in strong color contrasts and with a wolfish hero-villain, both cute and cantankerous, and some crafty cooks among the coneys in his woods. This brand-new picture book is clever eye-candy and wonderful wordsmithery, with irresistible rhymes for read-aloud fun with all kinds of possibilities for interactive reading with preschool and primary children.

With the fanciful, psychological, and visual power of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, Harkness has created a new classic for children today, crafted beautifully in humorous clay sculptures that portray a hopeful theme that when creatures have all they need, the lion figuratively lies down with the lamb, and the wolf knoshes on pastries with the bunnies.

Says Booklist, "“The text is delightful and simple, using repetitive variations that naturally encourage participation in read-aloud settings, but it's the exceptional artwork that truly makes this a masterpiece. . . . An imaginative and completely immersive reading adventure.”

Snorkel Rabbit! Bunny Overboard by Claudia Rueda

 

IT'S ALL HANDS ON DECK!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO TO SAIL AWAY WITH ME?

A sailing we shall go with Bunny! It's over the waves, Mateys, as Bunny launches his little red sailboat. But he needs help! His sails need some BREEZE, please!

BLOW!

AHH! THANK YOU! But now Bunny needs someone to rock the boat, just for the fun of it. But THEN he wants more! But too much rocking is... OOOOO!

STOP! BUNNY OVERBOARD!

Kersplash! Too much rocking almost swamps the boat. A curious seal gives this maneuver a fishy eye, while Bunny decides it's time to drop anchor. Bunny suits up in his snorkeling gear, fins and all, and jumps off the stern of his sailboat. 

The Wolf at the Door! The Wolf Will Not Come by Myriam Ouyessad

It's bedtime and Mama Rabbit is trying to tuck in Little Rabbit, but the windows are dark and scary. And Little Rabbit seems to have the wolf-at-the-door willies.

"Are you sure the wolf will not come?" he asks.

"There are no more wolves. The hunters have chased them all away!"

But little Rabbit is not so easily convinced. What if one wolf sneaked through the forest and into the woods nearby? What if he were sneaky enough to make his way to the Rabbit's street by pretending to be a dog? What if he dodged all the cars and made his way through the maze of streets to the Rabbits' apartment door?

"He could not get in. The wolf does not know the code to the door," Mama points out.

"Father Pinaud has the code," Little Rabbit persists. "Also, he never notices anything!"

Mama seems to be getting exasperated with all this wily wolf talk. After all, wolves don't take elevators to the fifth floor of apartment buildings.

"Listen, Rabbit," says Mama. "Even if a wolf came up the elevator, he would not get in here. Good night, my rabbit!"

Mama Wolf gives him a final firm kiss, turns off the light, and closes Little Rabbit's bedroom door.

But then there is a knock ...

In Myriam Ouyessad's hilarious tale of a unlikely wolf at the door, The Wolf Will Not Come (Schiffer Publishing, 2019), the wolf turns out to be an expected but early guest to Rabbit's birthday party. Little Rabbit bounces out of his bedroom to open the door and hugs the wolf!

"I was sure you would come!"

All ends well with with an apparently well-planned birthday party, with balloons and banners and a big birthday cake. Author Myriam Ouyessad sets this story up cleverly, with Rabbit and Mama Rabbit pictured, spot-art style,  on the verso pages and the wolf's covert progress from woods through city streets to elevator shown full-page on the recto. Mama Rabbit calmly deadpans all the reasons why a wolf will not find his way to their door, while artist Ronan Badel's illustrations portray the stealthy wolf's progress from woods to party which fill the recto pages. Youngsters will love the closing twist, ending with a beautifully wrapped wolf toy for Rabbit and a hug and big slice of birthday cake for Wolf. A tongue-in-cheek birthday tale that leaves a very sweet taste!

Sweet, With No Added Sugar! Furry Bunny by Annie Auerbach

Who's soft and sweet and furry? A baby bunny, that's who!

ALL THE BUNNIES GO EXPLORE

THE FIELDS AND BUSHES AND MUCH MORE!

When spring comes, little bunnies venture out from their burrows to visit the butterflies and birds and little field mice and sample the taste of the sweet new green grass, a perfect treat for a new bunny to eat.

And Annie Auerbach and Laura Rigo's Furry Bunny (Mini Friends Touch & Feel) (Barron's 2018) is a touch-and-feel, furry little bunny board book which is just the thing for a little one's Easter basket, with soft fur to touch and adorable pictures of how a new bunny enjoys springtime, a treat that is sweet but with no added sugar for young ones to greet on Easter morning.

What's Up, Little Nutbrown Hare? Guess How Much I Love You? HERE I AM! (Finger Puppet Book) by Sam McBratney

Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare were playing hide and seek.

It was Little Nutbrown Hare's turn to hide, and he knew the best place to hide--in a hole in the tree. Big Nutbrown Hare pretends to search everywhere, until...

... Suddenly Little Nutbrown Hare pops his long ears and little pink nose out of the hole.

"HERE I AM!"

Little Nutbrown Hare giggles.

It's SO much fun to surprise his papa when he pops out. And it's still his turn!

Little Nutbrown Hare squeezes between some big rocks. He hides in a bunch of tall flowers, in some bushy weeds, and among the new green ferns. Papa never seems to see him until he pops out of his hiding place.

Finally he scrunches his long ears down behind a big log. Papa's search seems hopeless.

All this hiding and seeking had Big Nutbrown Hare exhausted!

It's about time for the final Big Reveal in Sam McBratney's latest father-and-son adventure, Here I Am!: A Finger Puppet Book: A Guess How Much I Love You Book (Candlewick Books, 2018). With its perennially charming soft illustrations by artist Anita Jeram, this latest  in the beloved best-selling Guess How Much I Love You? series, there's a furry long-eared little hare here who pops up to surprise his patient papa every time in this new toy-and-movable board book--the perfect Easter basket filler, sweet, but with zero grams of sugar, to delight youngsters, one that may inspire an Easter hide and hunt of its own.

For the youngest, there is also McBratney and Geram's companion interaction finger puppet book, Guess How Much I Love You: One More Tickle!: A Puppet Book.

Bunny Girl: The Little Rabbit by Nicola Killen

Ollie and her toy bunny had been waiting a long time for the rain to stop.

At last the day had arrived!

Ollie in her bunny suit and yellow rain boots ventures outside, her buddy rabbit stowed in a basket. They have a date with some puddles just waiting to be splashed in!

But before they reach the puddles, a spring wind whooshes past, bringing glittering silver blossoms past them.

Suddenly, Bunny twitches his nose and everything is changed.

Ollie thought she must be imagining it, but when she looked again, Bunny's ears were moving, too!

Ollie watches in amazement as Bunny jumps out of his basket to join a group of rabbits at play and disappears through a big hole in the hillock and is gone. Ollie follows, emerging near a pond, where she spots Bunny crossing over some stepping stones. And there's a storm brewing ahead.

The water was rising and Bunny was in danger!

But then Ollie recalls that she still has her yellow umbrella along. Can she turn it upside down and use it as a rescue vessel?

It's a bit of a down-the-rabbit-hole story, in Nicola Killen's latest in series The Little Rabbit (The Little Animal) (Simon and Schuster, 2019). Luckily for Ollie, there's an easier way home--right through the convenient die-cut openings in the page, where she and her toy bunny have a magical flight with her umbrella among golden petals on a favorable spring breeze. There's no place like home, and, like Dorothy in her return from Oz, Ollie soon finds herself snugly tucked into bed. Bunny seems to be back to being a cuddly toy ..., but she spots a tiny nose twitch that may mean more adventures ahead for Ollie and Bunny.

Nicola Killen's sweet spring fantasy is illustrated primarily in grey line drawings, with accents of seasonal yellows and greens that direct the young reader's attention. Accents in glittering silver and gold presage the whimsy of this fantasy tale and die-cut openings in the pages ground the two adventurers and open the way to their happy return. Says Publishers Weekly, this just-published bunny tale offers "light enchantment [in] this quiet story of a rainy day adventure."

Killen's companion book for the winter season is The Little Reindeer (The Little Animal) (see review here).

The Strange Case of the Crooked Carrots: Charlotte the Scientist Finds A Cure by Camille Andros

Charlotte was a serious scientist!

She lived in the forest with her bunny-sized family, which was better than ever.

Because Grandpa had moved in.

Grandpa is a doctor, so naturally he encourages Charlotte's dedication to the scientific method--researching, experimenting, and hypothesizing solutions.

And there is a medical malady in their woodsy paradise. All the animals have the trots--with griping stomachs and mad dashes for the potty. Even Grandpa falls sick with the unknown ailment.

But Charlotte is on the case!

Medical examiner Charlotte suits up in lab coat, mask and gloves, and begins her research, gathering patient histories. She even does clinical research outside the neighborhood privy and quarantines all the cases, but the epidemic continues unabated.

Charlotte dissected the data and plotted out patterns.

Then Charlotte's keen eye makes a critical observation:

Everyone who was sick had been eating carrots!

And all the carrots were suspiciously malformed. Charlotte has her hypothesis: The crooked carrots appear to be the vector of the disease. Charlotte collects specimens, analyzes them in her lab, and researches her findings in the Comprehensive Compendium of Carrot Conditions. Aha!

It could only be--Funky Forest Fungi.

It's the carrots that need a quarantine and cure, and this perky protagonist comes up with the treatment for the pesky carrot disease. It's microbiologist Charlotte the Scientist to the rescue in Camille Andros' second book in the series, Charlotte the Scientist Finds a Cure (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Clarion, 2019).

Andros encourages young readers to do their own research with a quick review of the scientific method and her premise that young amateur scientists can make real discoveries. Half the fun of this story is in artist Brianne Farley's truly funny bunnies and other forest folk in the throes of the critter version of the dreaded stomach bug, very familiar among primary graders. This is a great book to have on hand when it's time to kick off science fairs, and author Andros earns extra credit for her appended glossary of medical research terms such as "clinical trial" and "specimen."

Andros' and Farley's first collaboration, Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished, (read my review here) makes for a good read for the primary set to encourage girls' participation in the sciences, a good choice for Women's Month read-alouds.

Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail And... (This Is) Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

This is Peter Rabbit!

It's a shaped story book, complete with Peter's industrious siblings, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail, busy filling their baskets, and his partner in rascally radish nibbling, cousin Benjamin Bunny.

Peter ventures out into the forbidden field of Mr. McGregor's gooseberry bushes for some adventures, but returns to his home burrow when it's time to say goodnight, in this new edition of Beatrix Potter's popular bunny tale.

It's a sturdy board book, a simple version of the classic story, and a crib toy, all in one, in Peter Rabbit Large Shaped Board Book (Frederic Warne, 2018 Am. ed.), with  Potter's delightful illustrations with all their soft water-colored appeal. This is one bedtime story that goes along for nighty-night time.

Put a Bunny in Your Basket: BUNNY and Friends (Touch and Feel)

LITTLE BUNNIES, GRAY AND BROWN,

WITH EARS THAT FLOP UP AND DOWN!

Who wouldn't want one of those?

Bunnies for Easter and baskets often go together, but if you don't plan to have a hutch in your house, Roger Priddy's tactile-stimulating title, Bunny and Friends Touch and Feel (Baby Touch and Feel) (Priddy Books/St. Martin's Press, 2017), fits right into the Easter basket, with soft  fur to feel and a real cotton tail to touch.

Young ones are encouraged to stroke two bunnies, one with gray fur and one with brown, while a cottony little puff of a tail is there on each of them. And when little bunnies are ready for a nap, there's even a sturdy brown rabbit hutch. Is it rough, or smooth to the touch?

This sturdy little board book for the youngest is a great Easter basket stuffer for the very youngest Easter Bunny fans.

Oh, No, Green Glow! Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds

Jasper Rabbit needed new underwear.

There's no alternative for undies, so Mom and Jasper are off to the Underwear Store. Mom grabs the last three packs of Plain White, thinking this trip is going to blissfully, er, brief.

But then Jasper sees them.

CREEPY UNDERWEAR.

So creepy! They were glorious!

In Day-Glo Green, with a Frankenstein face glowering on the front, they are perfect! Mom thinks they're too creepy for her bunny, but Jasper insists.

I'm not a little bunny any more! I'm a big rabbit!

Jasper can't wait to wear the creepy skivvies. He wears them to bed. But despite repetition of his "big bunny" mantra, the green and ghoulish glow of his lower half creeps Jasper out. Even piling a pillow over his face can't keep the creepy green glow out of his eyes.

Jasper skins out of the spooky pants and stuffs them into the bottom of the laundry hamper, but the glow in his room remains just as greenish and ghoulish as before. Finally Jasper falls into a fretful sleep, but when he wakes up, he finds that he is wearing the creepy briefs again. Is there a curse on his keister?

Jasper tries everything to rid himself of the dreadful drawers. He cuts them up into glowing green bits. But no matter where he stashes them, they return, back on his tushie, still ghoulishly green and glowing. He even mails them to China, only to receive them back in record time, with souvenirs--a pair of chopsticks and a toy panda! Finally Jasper slogs out at midnight with a shovel to bury the creepy underwear deep in a hole on the top of the distant Crookhanger Hill.

At last he drags himself into bed, switches off his bedside light, and lies down in the dark room with a satisfied smile. It's total darkness at last! Only....

It was REALLY DARK in there!

Jasper finds that even for a big rabbit, there can be too much of a good thing, and now there's way too much darkness in his bedroom. Will the Creepy Underwear have a return booking on his bottom?

There's a tiny bit of horror and and a lot of humor in Aaron Reynolds' Creepy Pair of Underwear! (Simon and Schuster, 2017), and a plenty of underpants-spurred hilarity is sure to ensue when young readers hear or read this spookypants tale.

Artist Peter Brown, who earned a Caldecott Honor Award for his collaboration with Aaron Reynolds in Creepy Carrots! (see review here), outdoes himself in this one. His uniformly grayscale illustrations, lighted only by the green glow of the seemingly possessed underpants, sets the stage well, alternating full-page illustrations with panels that build suspense. His Underwear Store is everything it should be--row after row of square tables with neat stacks of briefs, and when Jasper finally settles down to sleep and turns off his light, the next page turn reveals a double-page spread of nothing but... flat black. Brown also adds plenty of sight gags, changing the monster face on the briefs slightly, even down to the one back from China, matching the changing looks on poor Jasper's face. This new undie tale from Reynolds and Brown is doubtless destined to be the top hit of this year's spooky season.

Focus! Barnaby Never Forgets by Pierre Collet-Derby

OH, BOY! WHERE DID I PUT MY GLASSES?

Barnaby thought he had it all together for school!

I NEVER FORGET WHEN IT'S ICE CREAM NIGHT.

He remembers all the right things--when to write letters to Santa, when to bring in the mail, when to feed his grasshoppers....

Well, maybe not ALWAYS. That wet swimsuit he left on the floor of his room? That jacket he misplaced... somewhere....?

But then, there's always a nice surprise when he finds something he didn't know he'd lost!

...LIKE THE DOLLAR BILL GRANDMA GAVE ME FOR RAKING LEAVES!

There's even a lollipop from his last birthday party at the bottom of his backpack, only slightly fuzzy.

Barnaby catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. There are his glasses--on his face already. Maybe he won't be late for school after all. He grabs his backpack and runs all the way. But...

WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

The swings in the playground are empty. No kids are lining up at the door. The bell isn't ringing.

Could Barnaby have forgotten something important? Could today be ... SATURDAY?

And that's not the only thing Barnaby forgot, something that will keep young readers giggling right to the end, in author-illustrator Pierre Collet-Derby's brand-new Barnaby Never Forgets (Candlewick Press, 2017). Oops! Getting it (or not getting it) together for school is something we all know about, especially in those hectic back-to-school days, and Collet-Derby's illustrations of his forgetful little bunny boy are empathetic, charming, and lovable, a great read aloud to break the ice and relax the tension after that hectic scurry to school. More Barnaby, please!

Space Race! Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished by Camille Andros

Charlotte was a serious scientist.

Charlotte has all the right gear. She's got beakers, test tubes, tongs, tubes, and stoppers. She's got the lab coat, the protective glasses, and the clipboard. She's mastered the scientific method. She's all ready to do some serious experimenting. Except for one problem.

Charlotte is squished!

Charlotte the Rabbit has thirteen siblings. There's no private space at the dining table, no room in the bathtub...

And sometimes not even in the toilet!

Charlotte is not above trying a bit of charlatan science. She tries a formula for making her little brothers and sisters disappear. It doesn't work. She tries to make herself disappear, with no result. And the little ones persist in toying with her test tubes and breaking her beakers. There's no way to keep the baby bunnies out of her lab.

Charlotte decides that she needs more than the scientific method. SHE NEEDS SPACE!

If she was to going to get some space...

She would have to go there!

Charlotte does the calculations and constructs herself a carrot-style rocket ship, and with her critical equipment in the cargo hold, she lifts off for Outer Space. Her mission is a success. The Carrot has landed!

Space is full of space! It's quiet and roomy, which makes it easy for Charlotte to record observations and carry out her experiments in peace. She rejoices in her tidy test tubes and peerless specimens. At last, she manages to get to Step Five of the Scientific Method: CONCLUSIONS!

Space is a scientist's dream. Except for a few complications.

What was Charlotte to do when she ran out of toilet paper?

Who was there to talk to? Who was there to play with when she need a break? Who was there to give her a hug?

As poet Robert Frost said, "Earth's the right place for love" (and t.p.), as Charlotte learns, in Camille Andros' just published Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished (Houghton Mifflin Clarion, 2017), as she lifts off for a happy touchdown back home, where she puts her big orange spaceship to its perfect use as just what she needed all along, not Outer Space at all, just...

PRIVATE SPACE!

Camille Andros' tale of too many siblings is well told, especially with the help of artist Brianna Farley's charming illustrations which make the best of the cast of cute and mischievous little bunny siblings and the young scientist who is determined to pursue her proclivity for science. Farley tucks in lots of rabbitty touches within her drawings, adding plenty of comic charm. Andros and Farley also append a final section on the steps in the scientific method to reinforce the incidental learning within the text for readers who like Charlotte, are into serious about their science.

Stretch! Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo

One morning Bunny crawled out of his hole, rubbing his eyes.

"This is a perfect morning to do yoga!" he said.

Just as Bunny goes into his first pose, Lizard comes scampering by. Bunny sees that, even early in the day, his friend is irascible and already tuckered out.

"Good morning, Lizard. Would you like to do Yoga with me?" said Bunny.

But Lizard is frazzled. He absolutely hates mornings, and and the last thing he wants to do is to salute the sun!

Bunny is disappointed, but he soothes his feelings by doing a downward dog. Just then Fox flies by, obviously in a terrible rush to get somewhere or other.

"Out of my way, Bunny!" he said.

Fox is surely in no mood to slow down, so Bunny goes back to his solitary poses, choosing a stately tree pose. Just then Bird flaps down, landing unceremoniously on Bunny's head, hiccuping repeatedly.

"Make them STOP!" he squawked.

Bird flutters away, his hiccups growing fainter. Bunny shrugs. He's tried, but his friends are having none of his calming poses and his advice, so he continues alone. He strikes a strong warrior pose.

And just then he notices that he has a circle of admirers--a group of bright-eyed mice who try to go into the pose with him. If only his frantic friends would do likewise!

And persistence pays off, in Brian Russo's Yoga Bunny (HarperCollins, 2017), in which even Lizard, Fox, and Bird finally find solace in Bunny's therapeutic poses. Russo's simple story is deftly illustrated with charmingly conceived illustrations, done in a delicate blackline with digitally applied "watercolors," which illustrate some of the best-known Yoga poses for youngsters, who will want to get into the act long before Fox, Lizard, and Bird join the session. Endpapers reveal Bunny demonstrating 32 additional poses for young yoga fans. Says Kirkus Reviews, "The uncluttered white pages with just a hint of grass and little pink flowers under each animal's feet ground the images and mirror Bunny's inner calm."

No Bunny? Fancy Nancy and the Missing Easter Bunny by Jane O'Connor

OOH-LA-LA! Look at my eggs! They are tres magnifique'! That's fancy for magnificent!

Tomorrow is Easter, and we are almost ready for our Easter egg hunt!

Being good big sisters, Nancy Clancy and her best friend Bree are hostessing an Easter Egg hunt for their little siblings, JoJo and Freddy. And there's a special guest--the Easter Bunny. Well, not the real one, exactly!

It's JoJo's turn to take home her classroom pet, Nibbles the Rabbit, for the weekend. What could be a better party accessory than their own Easter Bunny on Easter Sunday!

Nancy and Bree have decorated plenty of fancy eggs (Nancy's are decorated with lace and feathers!) and they are all hidden in places just right for the preschoolers to find, and the refreshments are all ready for the apres-hunt picnic. Nibbles is all set to watch the fun from her cage, where she has plenty of fresh lettuces to, well, nibble!

But when Freddy sees a real bunny. he is fascinated.

Freddy wants to play with Nibbles, but my mom doesn't want her hopping away.

It can't hurt to let her out for just a little while.

What could possibly go wrong, right?

And of course when Nancy stashes Nibbles back in the cage, she forgets to lock it, and halfway through what seems a successful egg hunt, Nancy notices Nibbles is missing and knows that it is her fault.

SACRE BLEU! This is dreadful! (That's even worse than very, very, very bad!)

Should I tell my parents? Or perhaps I can find Nibbles before JoJo notices she's disappeared!

While the others are busy filling their baskets, Nancy frantically starts a search for the missing Nibbles. Will the big Easter egg hunt end in une terrible tragedie?

But who knew Nancy Clancy had such fantastique tracking skills? In Jane O'Connors' Fancy Nancy and the Missing Easter Bunny (Harper Festival, 2017), it's a Sherlock moment as Nancy follows paw prints and lettuce scraps to locate the missing bunny, and save the day, All's well... except that while Nancy is on her big bunny hunt, everyone else has filled their baskets with every one of the hidden eggs. But solutions are what best friends are for, and Bree comes through with a great idea, one that even adds to the fun of the party. Assistant artist Carolyn Bracken provides the perfect pastel palette for the holiday hi-jinks in this just-published new addition to the evergreen best-selling Fancy Nancy series, one that makes a superbe (and sugar-free) gift for Eastertide.

Warm Feelings! Guess How Much I Love You in the Winter by Sam McBratney

Little Nut Brown Hare and Big Nut Brown Hare went out in the winter snow. They played I Spy as they hopped through the snow.

"I spy something that belongs to a spider," says Big Nut Brown Hare.

Little Nut Brown Hare scrutinizes the all-white scene. Could there be a spider in all this snow? Then he spies something.

"A WEB!"

What's more fun than walking and playing a game in the snow with Dad? And Little Nut Brown Hare is sharp as a tack. He spots something that belongs to the river. It's water, of course. Easy-peasy!

Then Big Nut Brown gives him a harder question.

"I SPY SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO YOU!"

Little Nut Brown Hare looks down at himself doubtfully. He's not wearing mittens or a scarf... or anything! Then Big Nut Brown Hare offers him a prompt.

"IT'S ONLY THERE WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT."

Aha! Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Little Nut Brown Hare and his dad are having a fine walk in the winter scene, in Sam McBratney's latest in his beloved Guess How Much I Love You series, Guess How Much I Love You in the Winter: Deluxe Cut Paper Edition (Candlewick Press, 2016). And there is something extra-special in this wintry edition with beautiful cut-out, layered three-dimensional illustrations of woodsy winter vistas by Anita Jera, making this title a standout among the seasonal crop of snow and Valentine's Day stories. Youngsters will love studying the pages and playing I Spy along with the Nut Brown pair and join into the warm and loving story of father and son hugs. Pair this one with the plush toy for a heart-warming gift for a special preschooler.

's No Day in the Park! Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda

Hello?

Want to join me for a ski day?

But where's the snow? Could you please ((SHAKE)) the book?

From page one, this bunny takes charge, even though only the tip of his red scarf and skis are in sight on page right. He exhorts us to shake the snow right out of the clouds and onto the slopes.

Whoa! Too much snow.

Can you tap tap tap on the top of the book?

Okay. That leveled out that mound of snow, level being the operant word here. But skiing requires some slope.

Now maybe you can help me go downhill. Can you ((TILT)) the book to your right?

That's not exactly downhill. Maybe you could ((TILT)) the book a bit more?

CARROTS! What fun!

But this bossy bunny is not done with us, dear reader. He manages to ski himself over a cliff and to land tangled upside down in a tree (requiring reading the text upside down, and more shaking is in order to get him back on his downhill run.)

But... But ... Bunny! Look out for that hole!

Oh, WHEW! He straddled it. Perfect. Now off the ski jump!

LOOK OUT! There's another hole ahead!

AAAAAaaaaaGH!

It's down the rabbit hole for sure this time.

(Hey, hasn't that book already been written?)

Yes, but this is not it, in Claudia Rueda's latest, Bunny Slopes (Chronicle Books, 2016), and in this day of the metabook, we know what we must do to, er, advance the plot, as we say. In this day, post-Tullett's Press Here, we know we have to follow directions to do our part to get this little ski bunny safe and sound to his apres-ski happy ending, where down the second die-cut rabbit hole means he lands safe in the family burrow with a cozy cup of hot chocolate (and one for us, too) waiting from Mom. Author-illustrator Rueda captures just the right tone for her dictatorial snow bunny, and her sweet and snowy illustrations have plenty of of kid appeal, at least for that initial downhill run. A good book for that midwinter snow-time bookshelf.

Says Kirkus Reviews, "...her bunny is adorably expressive, her scenes are simple and easy to read, and that gutter cliff is a masterstroke of design."

April Fool? That's Not BUNNY! by Chris Barton

FROM HIGH IN HIS PERCH, HAWK WAITED FOR A CHANCE.

IN THE GARDEN BELOW, A MOVEMENT CAUGHT HIS EYE. DOWN HE SPED.

A hungry hawk has staked out a vegetable garden. No, he's not stalking the wild asparagus. There's bound to be a rabbit there sooner or later, he figures, and that means dinner! With a rabbit finally in his sights, Hawk dives, thrusts out his talons, shrieks a cry of victory, and soars back to his nest, ready to do the raptor captor thing.

But, WHAT TH'...???

In his talons is a super-sized carrot.

His prey, a plump and tender rabbit toodling to his hole with a barrow full of veggies, has grabbed the nearest garden product and used it for a hawk shield.

Hawk leaves the carrot and returns to his perch for another try. Ah, here comes that wascally wabbit waddling wight by with his wee wittle wheelbarrow.

SWOOSH! SHRIEK! OOooops!

Hawk pulls up from his dive to discover his claws grasping--a cucumber? A cuke fluke?

A third attack comes up with a head of lettuce. It's a nice one, but still...

OH, COME ON! I JUST HUNTED A HEAD OF LETTUCE?

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And when Hawk winds up with a nest full of potential side dishes, is he gonna make a salad? It's a veritable vegetarian day for this raptor in Chris Barton's newest, That's Not Bunny! (Disney Hyperion, 2016). Barton's old-fashioned comic characters have the retro look and sound of 1960s Saturday morning cartoons that will tickle young readers' funny-bunny bones. "Perfect for reading aloud, this is a great addition to picture book collections," says School Library Journal.

Chris Barton is also the author-illustrator of the top-selling Shark vs. Train (read my review here).