THUNDER BUNNY

Out of a gigantic Easter egg hatches Thunder Bunny, a gigantic rabbit made of clouds. Artemis, Specks, and Chops love their new jumbo-sized companion, who soon grows big enough to hurdle houses. But Thunder Bunny pines for his bunny mom, and that necessitates a quest to his birthplace, Cloudland. On the way, the children and rabbit pass through Chatterland (whose citizens yak incessantly), Scribblearia (with an artistic population), Volcanoland and Silly Sea-Monster Ocean. Thunder Bunny is finally reunited with his mom (along with many other beast-shaped clouds) while the children return to earth to write, draw, and tell tales of their adventures. Candy-apple colors and wacky drawings recall the retro world of 1950s picture books and the cyber-look of computer animation. At times the illustrations are claustrophobically overcrowded, and the self-consciously zany countries seem designed more to entertain adults than literal-minded tots. But for those who daydream with their heads in the clouds, this bunny hop is tops. (Picture book. 4-8)