EVERYBUNNY DANCE!

The coast is clear! It’s a perfect chance for a colony of bunnies to dance, play, and sing.

Brief rhyming phrases lay the groundwork for the bunnies’ activities. “Everybunny dance! // And clap your paws, / and twist and twirl, / and shake your tail, / and wiggle and whirl.” After dancing, the bunnies pull out their instruments: “Everybunny play! // And bang a drum, / and play the flute, / and blow a horn, / a-tooty-toot!” Just as the bunnies are singing, the villain appears: a fox! “Everybunny run!” As the bunnies hide, they watch the fox dance, play a clarinet, and perform a somersault. But the fox is lonely and sad without an audience. Surprise! Everybunny claps and invites the fox to join in with their fun. The attractive and creative illustrations paint the bunnies to match the text’s exuberance. Some are in brown or red polka dots, some sport bow ties, and some wear ballet shoes or tutus. The fox makes a dramatic entrance with just its vivid red head spreading menacingly across two pages. The page composition as a whole is effective, with good page turns and focal points and with some words highlighted. There are several opportunities for using the book with children, in addition to reading the story. It could be a challenging counting book (there are as many as 24 or 26 bunnies per page) and/or a game for storytime with kids acting it out (with a tolerant adult).

Foxy fun.