HOW TO BE A BIGGER BUNNY

Written by Florence Minor, illustrated by Wendell Minor 
Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 24th, 2017 
ISBN 978-0062352552
$17.99 • 4-8 years


REVIEWS:

From KIRKUS
Book-smarts help Tickles the bunny save the day in this latest collaboration from the Minors. Tickles is the smallest and least adventurous in her family of five brown rabbits. When she awakens to see that her four bigger siblings have left their cozy, tree-hollow home for the day, she feels left out but resigns herself to reading her new book, How to Be a Bigger Bunny. The red volume includes stories about an intrepid rabbit who climbs a tall tree and acts like a pirate, and another, called "How to Think Your Way out of Tricky Places," has "good advice about nibbling." Lo and behold, all these stories end up having practical applications when Tickles' brothers and sisters get trapped in a hollow log. She rescues them, has happy dreams of her heroism that night, and rises the next day to their newfound respect and a standing invitation to join them on future adventures. Throughout, gouache illustrations pay homage in palette, style, and detail to "legends of the past" Beatrix Potter, Leonard Weisgard, and Garth Williams, to whom Wendell Minor dedicates the book. The soft visual texture, in particular, is appealing and well befits the gentle narrative with its encouraging message to "never give up." A happy ending for a little bunny whose reading helps her do big things.
 
From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
... This is a multifaceted narrative, much like the stories that Tickles reads, and it offers many lessons. It invokes consideration and inclusion through Tickles's own discoveries while championing the power of books and reading....”  ...a positive, empowering selection for young readers. The gouache illustrations are simply stunning, with a bold, glowing yellow appearing throughout, visually relaying the warmth and strength of the book.
 
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
... The motivational messages of the stories in the book—they include “Never Give Up” and “How to Be a Pirate,” which “showed her how to act and talk boldly”—come in handy when Tickles discovers that her siblings have become trapped in a hollow log. Wendell Minor creates a bucolic countryside home for the rabbits in sun-washed scenes of fields bursting with flowers, and a series of dream sequences—including a stint as a pirate and caped superhero soaring across the night sky—offer visual evidence of Tickles’s growing confidence. .... When you never give up, you can do amazing things!”

From LIBRARIAN’S QUEST BLOG
The simple, short sentences are ideal for younger readers (and those young at heart).  To add interest and invite participation Florence includes narrative, thoughts, conversation and sound effects.  This blend, with her expertly placed punctuation, provides perfect pacing.
 
Wendell Minor’s [cover] painting welcomes you to step right into whatever world he has created. ...You can almost feel the warmth of the air as a goldfinch flutters nearby and a swallowtail hovers above the blossoms.  You're sure if you reach out a hand you could touch soft fur.  
 
Full blog review: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-rabbit-who-reads-succeeds.html


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