Jackalope

January 13, 2003
This team's (And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon) new fable features a multi-layered story line, kinetic art and a lot of sass. A shambling armadillo in oversize cowboy gear hosts the tale ("Ever seen a jackalope?") and offers down-home moralizing in the margins ("Why, don't you be wishing for something you're not—/ It's better to be who you are!"), while the figure of Jack provides a foolish counterpoint to the armadillo's knowing voice. Jack wants to be scary, and he doesn't care whose toes he steps on in order to be feared. His Fairy Godrabbit brings him horns to make him fearsome, but the two of them must escape hungry Coyote before they can live happily ever after. After what looks like a clever escape, the slow-talking armadillo discloses, Coyote devours Jack and Jill and all the rest of the characters—and there the villain sits on the opposite page, relaxing post-meal in a lawn chair, picking his teeth with one of Jack's antlers. "The end," the armadillo says. It's a startling moment, until—"Ha! Just kidding," says the armadillo on the next page. Stevens's colored-pencil spreads and spot illustrations build momentum and hold many surprises. The double ending, the puns and the artwork will be enjoyed by all ages. Ages 5-8.

July 1, 2003
K-Gr 4-This story, a cross between a tall tale and a fractured fable, is narrated by a traveling armadillo, and abounds in laughs and lessons. Jackrabbit is unhappy about not being fierce. Wishing on a star gets him the attention of a vegetable-punning fairy godrabbit ("Now, lettuce see-") who grants him a pair of horns (hence the jackalope) with the caveat that he not tell lies. Lying, naturally, makes them grow. Coyote happens along, and as Jack dives for his old hiding place, his horns get stuck in the ground. Between them, Godrabbit and Jack foil Coyote and live reasonably happily ever after (punning all the way). The exuberant illustrations and large size make this book ideal for group read-alouds, and the puns will appeal to older audiences. This title is an excellent choice for further discussion of the origins of fractured tales, and the advisability of wishing you were someone other than who you are. A short afterword provides facts on animals that are not what their names imply: jackrabbit's really a hare, antelope a pronghorn, horned toad a lizard. All told, the nutty plot, sympathetic characters, and handsome illustrations make for a roaring good time.-Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2003
K-Gr. 3. The American western legend of the "jackalope" reaches new heights of silliness in the hands of the Stevens sisters. The narrator, an armadillo in cowboy boots, opens the tale on the front endpaper. Using rhyme, he introduces some famous Jacks (Jack-in-the-box and Jack-of-all-trades) and famous rabbits (Mad Hatter, Easter Bunny) before the story bursts into prose after the title page. The jackrabbit of this tale wants to be scary, but his mirror assures him he isn't, what with his big teeth and supersize glasses. Wishing on a star brings his fairy godrabbit, resplendent in a vegetable-patterned getup, who puns unmercifully on veggies ("Now " lettuce "see"). Jackrabbit receives a pair of horns, which get him in deep with the fox. The horns are transferred to the fairy godrabbit, and much wackiness ensues, including a fake ending before the real one. Armadillo inserts rhymed commentary throughout, and Stevens' watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations, with bits of photograph and collage, become wilder and more exaggerated as the story heats up. Fun!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)