A young bunny and a hungry fox stick to their traditional roles in this formulaic bunny-finds-trouble tale, imported from Britain. While his brothers and sisters, Misha, Sasha, Masha, and Natasha romp and play, Bunny Bobkin is busy learning to count. His counting, however, leads him into peril—into a den of foxes. The furry tales, gleaming eyes, and tawny toes spell danger for Bunny Bobkin, who stalls Mother Fox by distracting her into chanting a rabbit stew rhyme. A lapse in logic sends Mother Fox off for stew bones to flavor her broth—it doesn’t seem to occur to her that Bunny Bobkin would flavor the concoction just as well—providing the rabbit with a chance to escape. Cartoonish line drawings capture action but not nuance in a tale that includes a warm fuzzy ending. (Picture book. 2-5)
