I DON'T WANT A RABBIT

A white child struggles to move on from the death of his pet rabbit in this Dutch import.

Following the death of Blossom, Mom and Dad both want to get a new bunny, but their son is resistant. In a poorly executed break from typical linear plot structure in picture books, it’s not until close to the end of the book that readers learn he’d found Blossom dead in her cage. Had this affecting scene occurred earlier, readers who have never experienced the loss of a pet would readily understand the child’s reluctance to get a new pet. In the meantime, instead of getting a new bunny at a farm or a store, a wild rabbit starts approaching the child in his yard. He makes various attempts to rebuff the rabbit, but when the mail carrier delivers a package to the family's front door, the brown rabbit sneaks inside. Soon enough the boy is charmed and decides he wants to keep it as a pet, and his parents agree. The improbable storyline makes it a dubious choice for addressing the very real theme of grief over the loss of a pet, and generic cartoonish illustrations do little to add to the book’s appeal.

Wanting.