CARROTS MAKE ME SUSPICIOUS

When it comes to a certain orange vegetable, one bunny’s lips are sealed.

This book’s narrator, a young, anthropomorphized gray rabbit, won’t eat carrots. It’s a brave stance, given the ubiquity of carrots in the world of rabbits, but it’s not a convenient one. At parties—the one pictured in the story features carrot snacks and carrot party hats—the rabbit feels “a little bit left out.” What’s more, “Sometimes, at the table, I feel a little bit, just a tiny bit, curious to try a nibble.” But first? Research! The rabbit records carrot facts and drawings in a notebook, mulls carrot questions (“They are triangle shaped. But do they taste like triangles?”), and finds a recipe (included here) for cinnamon carrot soup that “looks okay.” With Dad’s help, the rabbit prepares the dish, takes a mouthful, and concludes with a smile that the soup tastes like…“carrots!” In Cranfield’s fastidious cut-paper–like art, the simple vegetable takes on the luster of a delicacy as it appears in one form or another throughout the story. While there’s never a doubt that the rabbit will take the plunge, what’s marvelous here—that is, besides the abundant humor—is the focus on a youngster who is working toward the desired result, without interference from an adult using pressure tactics.

Finally: a kids’ book about trying new foods in which the child takes charge.