Bunny's Book Club

Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: September 17, 2017

Review

I want to join Bunny's book club! What an exciting, wonderful, magical and fun club. Bunny's love of books began when he listened to story time outside by the library. But once summer was over, story time moved back into the library. Bunny was deprived of his books and stories. He loved then and needed them. Oh no! No more books for bunny. So Bunny devices a way to get into the library at night when it is closed. When he finally gets into the library, "It was better than a field of fresh, crunch carrot". What a great line. so through the book drop he goes and out of the book drop goes Bunny's selection of books. He takes them home and reads them. And he does always bring them back for more. Bunny's animal friends soon begin to love the books too. Soon all the animals are caught red handed at the library by the kind librarian. She issues each of the animals I library card so they can take out books properly. (I'm glad they aren't stealing anymore. That would be a bad example to read to children at story time.) The final, double paged spread illustration is simply joyous. All of Bunny's friends - Bear, Raccoon, Porcupine, Mouse, Squirrel and more- are pictured lounging comfortably at Bunny's home, reading before a fire and enjoying tea and muffins. How lovely. The illustrations are a joy to behold. They appear to be partly rendered in watercolor. The colors are muted and varied, with lots of greens, blues and browns. They are wonderfully detailed, down to the seeds in the flowers and the night scene of Bunny with his flashlight to the joy on the animals faces. Especially the one of the Porcupine hugging his book. The text flows through the book. It is lovely, descriptive and floats off the reader's tongue. Text and illustrations are beautifully matched. They are equal in their importance to the book. Even the front leaves of the book get in on the theme. It shows an old fashioned library due date pocket, with bunny and all his friends names on the card, showing that they all checked out the book. This is a beautiful homage to the joys of reading and libraries. Pair with "Book! Book! Book! by Deborah Bruss and Emily Gravett's "Agian!" for a bibliophile story time. This would be great for group sharing and one on one sharing. It would also make for a sweet gift for everyone, no matter their age, who loves reading and libraries. This might even inspire young listeners and readers to start their own book clubs with their friends. A must purchase for all libraries.

Overall Book Score: excellent