Little Bunny on the Move

Little Bunny on the Move

"It was time for a little bunny to be on the move. From here to there, a bunny goes where a bunny must." And so Little Bunny's journey begins: over the hills, through the woods, past the little girl who wants to take him home. But where is Little Bunny going? "Bunny, bunny, going down the path, Bunny, bunny, aren't you turning back? Where are you going, Little Bunny?" By the time Little Bunny reaches his destination--his very own place, with all the other little bunnies--readers will be thoroughly enchanted. Simple and accessible, Little Bunny on the Move takes us on a classic picture book journey with a most satisfying conclusion. "Bunny, Bunny, the sky is turning black. Bunny, Bunny, aren't you going back? Won't you stop to sleep, Little Bunny?" Absolutely not. This bunny has places to go, and no time to linger with five fat sheep or to be someone's pet. Over train tracks, through meadows and trees, the resolute rabbit presses on. No, this is not the White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland fame. It's just an adorable bunny with an itch to go home. Young homebodies will bask in the warmth of this simple story about the allure of one's native soil. Peter McCarty's soft gray-greens set a quiet tone, and his unusual style with pencil and watercolors make the illustrations strikingly original and appealing. The tiny bunny has a pudgy marshmallow look that calls out for squeezing. It's no wonder the little girl he passes wants to take him in. But "From here to there, a bunny goes where a bunny must." (Ages 2 to 6) --Emilie Coulter PreSchool-K-A little bunny is on the go, passing a pig, a cow, a flock of sheep, a train, and a little girl. His destination, revealed only on the final pages, is home. Though small and gentle, he is confident and determined to complete his journey despite the concern of those he encounters. "Bunny, Bunny, the sky is turning black./Bunny, Bunny, aren't you going back?/Won't you stop to sleep, Little Bunny?" McCarty's black-and-white pencil-and-watercolor illustrations with just a hint of color have a luminescent quality. The artist creates a pleasant out-of-time feeling by portraying objects ambiguously enough to defy their placement in time. An airplane, the child's clothing, a train could all be contemporary or from a bygone decade. Readers familiar with McCarty's black-and-white illustrations for John Coy's Night Driving (Holt, 1995) will recognize the style, although Little Bunny's artwork includes faint tints of color. The technique suits the text, which is also both general and timeless: "...a bunny goes where a bunny must." The slight, simple narrative is enhanced by lovely, intermittent rhymes. Within the plethora of bunny picture books, Little Bunny slips through a fence like Peter, receives a carrot on his return like the runaway bunny, but still maintains his own individuality. Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. A fresh look at a reassuring theme, with unusual and beguiling illustrations. Little Bunny is on the move, ``from here to there,'' past a cow, a pig, sheep, and the train tracks, through a fence, and past a little girl who wants to make a pet of him. On this journey, Bunny has little time to sleep, for he must go where he musthome, it turns out, where he is surrounded by his family, and where there are carrots. Bunny lives in a beautifully textured and shaded landscape done in a kind of grisaille, like medieval manuscripts painted in shades of grey. Colors, when used, are elusivethe palest green suggests grass, the barest swath of dim orange tints the carrotand heighten the brilliant use of white for the bunny, sheep, daisies, clouds, and the shadows of the landscape. Toddlers and caregivers alike will be soothed by a child-sized adventure, brought to sweet closure. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Peter McCarty is the author and illustrator of T Is for Terrible , Baby Steps , and Hondo and Fabian , for which he won a Caldecott Honor. He lives with his wife and two children in Upstate New York.