Bullying goes pastoral.
Down in the burrow, a bunny quartet, from Itty Bitty Betty Bunny to Much Bigger Bunny, is completely out of food, and Little Lenny Bunny is sent above ground to get some. He pulls out a juicy carrot, but out of nowhere steps a Big Bad Bully Bunny! He pushes Lenny to the ground, takes back the carrot and calls him stupid. Sadly, Lenny believes it. He confesses his failure to the others, and Slightly Bigger Benny Bunny says he'll get the carrots. Whom does he run into but Bully Bunny, who calls him ugly. Bigger Barney Bunny has a try, but he leaves feeling fat and wobbly, because Bully Bunny says he is. It takes Itty Bitty Bunny to convince the others that they're not what Bully Bunny says they are and to get them to band together. They load a huge pile of carrots onto a wheelbarrow, and just at that moment Big Bully Bunny looms again. This time, there's safety in numbers and when the four bunnies shout "No!" together, Bully Bunny is so surprised, he falls backwards on the ground. They dump the barrow of carrots on him before romping away. That's the bully’s comeuppance? Smallman's story could be less preachy and his message way less fuzzy, but Pedler's pictures are bright and attractive; her carrots look good enought to eat.
There are enough bully books around that this one can be safely skipped. (Picture book. 3-6)
