SO HAPPY TOGETHER

Siblings often disagree, even bunny brothers and sisters.

When Brayden’s friend Lena visits, he becomes upset because Lena plays with his two sisters first. He scoffs at their stereotypical girl games, but when they play gender-neutral hide-and-seek, he still won’t join. He had wanted to show Lena his “secret hiding place today—the one with the carrots.” Brayden’s jealousy prevents him from having fun until badger Benny comes to play with trains. Inexplicably and problematically, Benny wears a cowboy hat, and Brayden sports a feathered headdress as they play. When Benny mentions that a storm is brewing, suddenly Brayden thinks about the girls. He tells his friend that he must find them because they are “scared stiff of thunder.” Benny can’t understand the bunny’s anxiety, but Brayden resolutely states: “Brothers and sisters have to look out for one another.” The girls are not so happy to be the object of Brayden’s concern, however, and reveal that he is also afraid of thunderstorms. Back in their cozy living room, Brayden hands out carrots from his secret cache, and Mommy comes home to find her children happy with each other once again. While the story takes a great many words (set in fairly small print) to tell and is a little saccharine, the accomplished watercolor illustrations are quite engaging, full of detailed European woodland flora and fauna.

In the end, family love wins out.