THE FOUND THINGS

Creative design elements enhance the story of a young rabbit getting dressed.

When Rabbit awakens, only her head and part of a foreleg are visible through a die-cut hole that allows readers to peer through the foliage of the first spread onto the right-hand page of the second. After the page turn, the scene shifts from outside to inside Rabbit’s cozy home; the die cut has now flopped to the opposite side to show the sun shining through from the first spread onto her home. Her full body now visible, Rabbit wears no clothing, but as an anthropomorphic animal, there’s no sense of silliness or shame over her nudity as she declares, “I must get dressed” and immediately notes that she can find only one sock. This problem propels the rest of this joyfully interactive book as Rabbit seeks her sock, finding other garments along the way. Each item is first spied through additional die cuts from one page turn to the next, and the outfit she assembles would make Ian Falconer’s Olivia proud. One by one, Rabbit dons a teal pompom hat found under the bed, a pink tutu from the wardrobe, a green plaid scarf that she spies over the tub, and, finally, her lost yellow-and-orange-polka-dotted sock, found in the bushes outside by friends Squirrel and Mouse.

Getting ready to face the day has never been so fun.