Going through this everyday routine with Bunny may assist adults in putting their own little bunnies to bed.
It’s that time of the day when Bunny must put all the toys away, eat a delicious dinner of carrots, radishes, and greens, have a bath, put on pajamas, and cuddle up with a loving adult rabbit while they read a book together.
The text is a loving, soothing four-line rhyme on every double-page spread, each one starting with the same first line: “Hush-a-bye, Bunny / my sweet sleepyhead. / Let’s eat up our dinner— / it’s soon time for bed.” The pastel illustrations show a charming little toddler Bunny wearing a striped green shirt playing with gender-neutral toys (stuffed animals, balls, coloring books) and then going through the usual evening routine up to donning a yellow polka-dot sleeper after the bath and listening to the older rabbit read a bunny mermaid book. However, when it’s time to get into bed and switch off the light, Bunny is not happy and gets tearful. The adult rabbit promises to “hug away worries / and kiss away tears,” which helps comfort Bunny into slumber. Back-of-the-book text refers to the adult rabbit, who wears a reddish-pink striped shirt, as Mommy Bunny, but the tender relationship they enjoy together is one that could exist between any loving adult and child.
Going through this everyday routine with Bunny may assist adults in putting their own little bunnies to bed. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9459-3
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to.
This simplified version of Diesen and Hanna’s The Pout-Pout Fish (2008) is appropriate for babies and toddlers.
Brief, rhyming text tells the story of a sullen fish cheered up with a kiss. A little pink sea creature pokes his head out of a hole in the sea bottom to give the gloomy fish some advice: “Smile, Mr. Fish! / You look so down // With your glum-glum face / And your pout-pout frown.” He explains that there’s no reason to be worried, scared, sad or mad and concludes: “How about a smooch? / And a cheer-up wish? // Now you look happy: / What a smile, Mr. Fish!” Simple and sweet, this tale offers the lesson that sometimes, all that’s needed for a turnaround in mood is some cheer and encouragement to change our perspective. The clean, uncluttered illustrations are kept simple, except for the pout-pout fish’s features, which are delightfully expressive. Little ones will easily recognize and likely try to copy the sad, scared and angry looks that cross the fish’s face.
An upbeat early book on feelings with a simple storyline that little ones will respond to. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-374-37084-8
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lovely package, this quiet title will be best as a gift book for new moms eager to read aloud to the newest members of...
A mother’s observations of her new baby lead to a series of sweet comparisons to various animals.
“When I met you, you were small and trembling, and I thought you might be a little bunny. / I held you close so you were warm.” Teen author Marr (Made for You, 2014, etc.) uses playful yet comforting language in her picture-book debut. The baby’s squirming kicks remind her of a “lost kangaroo”; a lifting of the child’s head makes her think of a “curious lizard”; and the little one’s howl seems like that of a “lonely wolf.” Each of the child’s behaviors leads to a tender action taken by the mother: tucking the baby in, offering milk, and giving a bath. Each time a new creature is introduced, White gently changes the dominant color in the muted pastel palette of her watercolor and gouache illustrations. That hue is also reflected in the hand-lettered text, giving the overall design of the book a vintage feel. When the baby smiles, the mother knows “You are not a bunny-roo-lizard-wolf-kitten-piggy. You are my baby.” The final page shows the curled-up infant asleep in a pile of blankets.
A lovely package, this quiet title will be best as a gift book for new moms eager to read aloud to the newest members of their families. (Picture book. 1-3)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-399-16742-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2015
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