MAX’S BUNNY BUSINESS

Wells’s Max and Ruby have been mainstays on the young-young reader/listener scene for many years now. So why hasn’t Max grown up? Because he’s Max, who has no growth hormones, but pure mischief coursing through his system. Here he is in fine form. Ruby and friend Louise are smitten with the newest Fire Angel Flashing Rings, but they need $2 to purchase them. They decide on a lemonade stand to earn the necessary amount. They won’t, however, let Max get close; they expect, not without unwarrant, but a tad dismissively, that he’ll just make a hash of everything. So Max sets up shop down the street, hawking his old Halloween candy. Grandma, tired of waiting in line for lemonade, visits Max’s establishment, buys the lot and then heads into town with Max to buy him a treat. When Ruby and Louise finally get their two bucks, they find the rings have been sold—and one, of course, graces Max’s hand. In a story full of sweet eats—not to mention candy-colored artwork—he supplies the palate cleanser of comeuppance. (Picture book. 2-5)