RABBIT INN
by Patience Brewster & illustrated by Patience Brewster
Pandora Lapinandro begins a monumental list of tasks that must be done before the arrival of mysterious, important guests. She enlists the help of her husband Bob and also of the guests of their homey, garden-surrounded inn, while the list—festooned across the illustrations—continues to grow (``change sheets/pickle beets/buy soap/buy rope/scrub tub'') until ``All that was left was one daily chore for each animal guest''—just in time to welcome the new baby bunnies. The text's amiable spirit of cooperation and anticipation is beautifully extended in the illustrations; these rabbits, with their expressive, elongated ears, are captivating, while every detail of their domestic arrangements contributes to the theme of welcome and nurture. (Picture book. 4-8)