I WILL RACE YOU THROUGH THIS BOOK!

A highly competitive rabbit challenges readers to a race through the book it stars in.

In rhyming couplets, Book-it Bunny makes introductions and then declares, “No one reads as fast as ME! / So turn the page and take a look. // I will RACE you through this book!” Begging a false start, the bunny then tries to trick readers into closing their eyes, which leads to a very funny wordless double-page spread in which BiB is caught tiptoeing off the recto. The shenanigans continue as BiB takes off running before the count of three and tries to distract readers with reports of a cow in flight before losing stride upon sighting the supposedly imaginary winged cow. When (of course) readers do beat the bunny, BiB pretends not to care and then chooses another book—and another opponent: a snail. Fenske’s humorous metafictive competition pares down visual distractions so that readers can concentrate on decoding and on the book’s sense of play. The only setting is a blue floor and white background, both given solidity by BiB’s digitally thrown shadow. The bunny is a standard-issue cartoon, with sticking-up ears, buck teeth, and cotton-ball tail, all white save for touches of pink in ears and on nose. The occasional panel in yellow provides some variety.

Since finishing this book means winning a race, it delivers an extra sense of satisfaction for beginning readers