A perfectly packaged—and perfectly funny—primer on situational ethics.
Big Gray Wolf wonders whether to spare the life of a lost rabbit.
Each full moon, the wolves must sing for the moon to ensure good luck on their hunt. Something of a loner, Big Gray Wolf steps away to howl on his own. Amid the sounds of the wolves’ “AAA-WOOO!” he hears a high-pitched “AAA-WAAA!”—and sees a tiny baby bunny. The youngster stops crying and gazes hopefully at Big Gray Wolf, who suddenly has a hard time following the Wolf Rule that “anyone found in the woods after nightfall [is] supposed to be eaten.” Adding to his moral dilemma is a note in the baby’s pocket, offering a “super delicious meal” in exchange for the return of “our dear little Bunkins.” A clever cost-benefit analysis (“What if they just gave him lettuce? Well, perhaps this bunny had a more appetizing brother or sister”) is followed by a hilarious sequence of the wolf braving myriad challenges to return Bunkins to his family—and perhaps to devour the hapless rabbits as well. Maliush’s stylized visuals depict a delightfully anthropomorphized cast, from large-snouted Big Gray Wolf to Bunny, who’s nearly all ears. Her thoughtfully crafted text and art validate kindness and generosity while simultaneously maintaining suspense and keeping anxiety at bay for younger readers. Meanwhile, she also humorously cajoles older readers to ponder complex themes such as questioning societal rules and assumptions and weighing selfishness against altruism.
A perfectly packaged—and perfectly funny—primer on situational ethics. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9780735846142
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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