The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits by Douglas Florian | SLJ Review

redstarFlorian, Douglas. The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits. illus. by Sonia Sánchez. 32p. Little Bee. Feb. 2016. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781499801040.thewonderfulhabitsofrabbits

PreS-Gr 2 –In this title, Florian creates a rhythmic and rhyming tribute to rabbits. Unlike the bees in his UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings (S. & S., 2012), the habits in this title are imaginary, though Sánchez’s layered paintings create a world so well matched to the poetry that readers probably won’t notice. These rabbits have habits that are “many, not few, with plenty of things that they love to do,” including waking early, leaping and creeping, smelling flowers, and swimming for hours, ending their day the way many storybook bunnies do, all cozied up and tucked into bed. Florian’s expert rhyming couplets make it easy for young readers to predict the ending words even when the action is not exactly predictable. Sánchez’s free-form rabbits explore their environment on spreads that mirror the action in the rhyme and provide a sense of the day’s rhythm. Perfect for a lap-sit, this title works well for preschool and primary-aged storytimes and, with every rabbit different from the next, provides plenty of details for kids to pore over. VERDICT A playful and appealing choice.–Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence, RI

This review was published in the School Library Journal December 2015 issue.

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