Where Margaret Wise Brown’s Runaway Bunny is all talk, Little Rabbit suits action to words, declaring himself a runaway in the wake of a parental scolding and heading out into the garden with a few choice possessions. Along comes Molly Mouse; finding Little Rabbit sulking under a bush, she gets into the spirit of things by helping him to construct a cozy new house from found rubbish, and then moving in. But when she too turns out to be a real “bossyboots,” he stomps out again, this time for a long round of muddy play. Hard rain at last drives him reluctantly back to Molly, who tries to comfort him with a story—which turns out to be too scary for teller and listener both. Happily, two moms then enter to carry the relieved runaways home. Covering his mercurial runaway from paws to ears in an increasingly untidy flannel bunny suit, Horse illustrates the outing, Little Rabbit’s third, with leafy, warm-toned scenes full of finely drawn yard litter, natural detail and small animals. Children just past toddler stage will happily identify with this independent—but not too independent—spirit. (Picture book. 3-5)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 1-56145-343-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
Both perfect for Lola fans and likely to earn her ever more readers.
After years of everyday joys with McQuinn and Beardshaw’s Lola, readers now watch her start school.
It “will be a bit like story time at the library, but Lola will stay by herself.” The little black girl “knows what to expect” because she’s visited the school with her mom. She is prepared with gifts from loved ones—“fun pencils” from Nana, a water bottle from Ty. The night before her “big day,” Lola lays out her outfit. In the morning, she tucks her stuffed kitty, Dinah, in her bag and poses for a snapshot. In the classroom, Miss Suzan, a white woman, shows her where to put her things. Lola spends time reading with her friend Julia, who has pale skin and black hair, and then they play dress-up. Her mom sits for a while before saying goodbye. After snack time and more play, there is circle time. Of course, “Lola knows the song and all the motions.” Picking Lola up at the end of the day, Mommy hugs her daughter. Beardshaw’s soft, slightly smudgy illustrations allow young readers to focus on one cozy moment at a time. Even at this milestone, Lola still appears quite tiny, and the text is no more complex than in previous books, making this a seamless transition from Lola’s younger days to her new life in school.
Both perfect for Lola fans and likely to earn her ever more readers. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-58089-938-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
Good bedtime reading.
Only polar bears are allowed on Polar Bear Island, until Kirby, a friendly, creative penguin, arrives on the scene.
On the verso of the first double-page spread, large white lettering proclaims against an azure sky: “Polar Bear Island was peaceful and predictable. Parker, the mayor, planned to keep it that way.” Below, Parker—paint can in left paw—can be seen facing his sign: “Welcome to Polar Bear Island. No Others Allowed.” On the recto, Kirby floats into view on an ice floe, with hat, scarf, and overstuffed suitcase. When Kirby arrives, Parker grudgingly allows her an overnight stay. However, she soon proves her worth to the other bears; she has invented Flipper Slippers, which keep extremities warm and reverse from skates to snowshoes. Now Kirby is allowed to stay and help the bears make their own Flipper Slippers. When her family shows up with more inventions, Parker feels compelled to give them a week. (Presumably, the penguins have made the 12,430-mile-trip from the South Pole to the North Pole, characterized merely as “a long journey.”) A minor crisis permanently changes Parker’s attitudes about exclusivity. The text is accessible and good fun to read aloud. The weakness of the ostensible theme of granting welcome to newcomers lies in the fact that all the newcomers are immediately, obviously useful to the bears. The cartoonlike, scratchboard-ish graphics are lighthearted and full of anthropomorphic touches.
Good bedtime reading. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2870-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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