Buns Gone Bad (Fluffle Bunnies #1)

According to the narrator--a tough, unnamed moth who speaks with noir-like flair and sports a private detective feeling chapeau--bunny siblings Biggie, Boingy, and Flop "have moved onto bigger, better things" from the hole in the park where they were born. Once the trio was weaned, Mama Fluffle left to become a jujitsu master in Brazil, prompting evil mastermind Flop, cuddle-bun Biggie, and playful, voraciously hungry Boingy to venture out of their burrow alone. As they forage for themselves, the fluffle encounter opportunistic chipmunks, bee stings, and "mean and nasty" dogs. To survive, the rabbits must learn how to navigate the scariest parts of the park, which the narrator describes in titillating detail as the siblings meet a pair of raccoons willing to help--for a price. Dialogue by Humphrey (the Bee and Flea series) swiftly establishes each protagonist's personality and the stakes of their new situation, while b&w illustrations by Kniivila (Everyday Hero Machine Boy) highlight fluid movement and expressive faces by maintaining close views of the characters and their emotions, even as the bunnies' world grows ever larger. Together, the creators evoke the Bad Guys in this graphic novel series launch, a clever and compact origin story. Ages 6-9. (May)

Gr 2-5—A park, a public bathroom, and a crabby moth greet readers. The moth offers to tell the tale of the Fluffle Bunnies's descent into badness. That road starts out sweetly with the birth of siblings Flop, Biggie, and Boingy, but Mama soon abandons her brood to pursue her jujitsu career. The naive threesome must now fend for themselves. Food, water, and shelter prove illusive, and a ferocious dog, mean, nest-stealing chipmunks, and girls using the public bathrooms drive the unknowing trio into a covered trash can. There they are captured by two raccoons who confuse Flop's leg for a lucky rabbit foot. The road to deception (and survival) is paved when the siblings promise to grant the gullible raccoons three wishes. Readers will laugh out loud as all the wishes are granted with hilarious outcomes while the bunnies outsmart the racoons. The moth then sets the stage for the next adventure/takeover! Black-and-white illustrations in a variety of panels are used to great effect with plenty of action and loads of funny dialogue.

VERDICT Fans of "The Bad Guys'' series by Aaron Blabey will welcome these rascally rabbits in this new series that's ideal for any graphic novel collection.—Elisabeth LeBris