Rabbit and Hedgehog, very dissimilar friends, have found ways to share in the past (A Little Bit of Winter, not reviewed), and they charmingly do so again in their second appearance. Neither one of them knows the day of his birth, leaving them with no exact dates to celebrate. They resolve this problem by deciding to celebrate both birthdays the next day, complete with an exchange of presents at Hedgehog’s insistence. Now the friends have the joint problem of what to give each other, a puzzle they resolve: Hedgehog dips a bottle into the moonlight spilling over the lake to capture some for Rabbit’s dark burrow, and Rabbit packs a box of coziness in the form of earth and leaves from his burrow to soften Hedgehog’s bed in the wide open. Each is surprised to find his gift useful, although perhaps not in the exact way that was intended. The message, that barriers between friends can be overcome with a little thought, is delivered with warmth and humor in this gentle book’s perfectly complementary text and illustrations. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 29, 2000
ISBN: 0-06-028279-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1999
The poster boy for relentless mischief-makers everywhere, first encountered in No, David! (1998), gives his weary mother a rest by going to school. Naturally, he’s tardy, and that’s but the first in a long string of offenses—“Sit down, David! Keep your hands to yourself! PAY ATTENTION!”—that culminates in an afterschool stint. Children will, of course, recognize every line of the text and every one of David’s moves, and although he doesn’t exhibit the larger- than-life quality that made him a tall-tale anti-hero in his first appearance, his round-headed, gap-toothed enthusiasm is still endearing. For all his disruptive behavior, he shows not a trace of malice, and it’ll be easy for readers to want to encourage his further exploits. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-590-48087-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
Small, a very little fox, needs some reassurance from Large in the unconditional love department. If he is grim and grumpy, will he still be loved? “ ‘Oh, Small,’ said Large, ‘grumpy or not, I’ll always love you, no matter what.’ “ So it goes, in a gentle rhyme, as Large parries any number of questions that for Small are very telling. What if he were to turn into a young bear, or squishy bug, or alligator? Would a mother want to hug and hold these fearsome animals? Yes, yes, answers Large. “But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?” There is comfort in Gliori’s pages, but it is a result of repetition and not the imagery; this is a quick fix, not an enduring one, but it eases Small’s fears and may well do the same for children. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-202061-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
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