RABBIT’S GIFT

Shannon takes an ancient folktale and shapes it into quite a nice little winter story. Though it’s cold and snowy, Rabbit finds not one but two turnips. One is enough for him, so he rolls the other over to Donkey’s house and leaves it outside the door for her. Donkey comes home with a potato, and concerned that Goat is always hungry, leaves the turnip for him. Goat has a cabbage, so brings the turnip to Deer; and she, satisfied with her carrot, leaves the turnip outside Rabbit’s door. The next day, Rabbit shares the turnip all around. Dronzek makes a lovely border of turnips, with the Chinese ideograms for the names of the animals, as a leitmotif; her shapes are soft, rounded and sculptural and the snow is deep and soft. The animals have expressive faces and move the gift of the turnip around by pushing, butting and rolling. In a graceful author’s note, Shannon traces what he can of the misty origins and multiple versions of this story. A low-key but lovely winter tale. (Picture book. 3-7)