Bunnies!!!

Wild excitement at meeting new friends and the struggle to control emotions make Atteberry's monster hero an effective (and funny) stand-in for a certain sort of child. His blue, ovoid monster is happy to see everything in the forest ("Hello, tree. Hello clouds"), but when it spots four candy-colored bunnies, its joy knows no bounds: "BUNNIES!!!" It starts to chase the bunnies, who--understandably--run and hide. The spurned monster continues walking, shoulders slumped, its tail dragging; it halfheartedly continues to greet an ever-more-depressing array of objects ("Hello, stick. Hello, dirt"). The bunnies can be seen hiding behind trees, conflicted; they don't want to be overwhelmed, but they don't want to make the monster sad, either. At last, the bunnies willingly subject themselves to the monster's exuberance--until something new catches its attention, that is. In his first outing as author, Atteberry (Halloween Hustle) concentrates on conveying the monster's tempestuous feelings (and lots of giggles besides) in polished scenes that mix single- and double-page images with sequential panels. A diplomatic exploration of loving not wisely, but too well. Ages 4-8. Agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 1--A friendly naif of a monster happily greets every cloud, tree, and butterfly he encounters until he spots four pastel-colored "Bunnies!!!" and leaps after them with unabashed enthusiasm. The monster is visibly deflated when the terrified rabbits quickly disappear. More subdued, he goes on greeting forest objects until he once more runs into the foursome, with the same results. The cottontails, peeking out from trees and bushes, see the little monster's sadness and realize that he just wants to play. A satisfied monster and happy bunnies then cavort together until the monster spots... "Birdies!" The expressive cartoon characters rendered digitally in full color make this spare tale understandable for both readers and non-readers. The combination of cartoon panels and spreads creates a palpable sense of action and makes the plot easy to follow for the youngest listeners. Children will sympathize with the simple emotions of the monster and the unease of the rabbits that slowly builds toward trust, but it is the madcap action that will have them laughing with delight and asking for the book again.--Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI