WHILE WE WERE OUT

A charmingly illustrated tale of a pet rabbit amusing herself while her human family is away will be welcomed by Carl the rottweiler’s legion of fans. Soft black, gray, and white depictions of the rabbit sneaking around the house alternate with hilarious, full-color pictures of her mischievous activities: putting on lipstick (“ ‘Beautiful,’ she thinks”), eating at the table with a plate and silverware (“Just as the family does”), sitting on the couch watching a movie, attempting to read a book from the shelf, and playing with the children’s toys. Readers will chuckle at her coquettish eyelashes as she admires her lipsticked self in the mirror, and kids will relate to the fact that she can do many things, but somehow can’t quite read yet. Details reveal the Korean setting: an outfit that Rabbit tries on is one traditionally worn by Korean children on their first birthdays, Korean lettering adorns the snack bag Rabbit munches from in front of the TV, and chopsticks dry next to the sink with the silverware. There is more text than in the Carl books, but it’s kept simple enough for the youngest listeners to follow along. Just as Carl does, Rabbit puts everything to rights again before the family gets home, but she forgets one detail: the “evidence” she leaves behind all over the floor is startlingly funny after the sweetness of the preceding story and pictures. (Picture book. 3-6)