SOPHIE AND THE MOTHER’S DAY CARD

Sophie is the third of four bunny rabbit children in this sweetly humorous British import set in an idyllic village comprised of various animal characters. When Sophie paints a special card for her mom for Mother’s Day, the little rabbit is horrified when someone steals the painted flower from her card. With her father’s help, she picks some flowers for her mother as an alternative gift, and later comes to understand why an otter boy stole her painted flower to give to his own mother. The story is understated and gentle without being saccharine, and Sophie stands up to Trevor Otter in a firm but kind manner. The soft-focus watercolor-and-ink illustrations are an excellent match to the tone and setting of the text, with appealing animal expressions and little details such as an identifying ribbon bow on one of Sophie’s ears. The series continues with an adventure about Sophie and her baby brother in Sophie in Charge (ISBN: 1-56148-478-4). (Easy reader. 5-7)