Everybunny Dream!

November 15, 2018
A bevy of bunnies blissfully bounces into bedtime business. Defying the usual scenario in books of this type, little ones cheerfully prepare for slumber without complaint or hint of duplicitous delay. When called inside from playtime by their mom, the chubby bunnies obediently hop to necessary nighttime routines: donning pajamas; washing; brushing teeth; and, naturally, cleaning paws, combing tails, and trimming claws. Then it's time for hugs before settling down. But what's this? A "bushy, orange tail" reveals a sleepytime stowaway. Why, it's a giggly fox, adorned in "bunny ears and bunny socks." And there's more--a whole family of pj's-clad fox cubs waits with their mom outside the warren. An invitation to join a charming, interspecies bedtime-story session ensues, with the mother rabbit doing the reading honors. Afterward, each mother tucks in with her respective adorable brood, and off to dreamland all go. This cute British import, narrated in lilting verse, should usher readers/listeners to a happy, stress-free sleep. Emphatic expressions ("EVERYBUNNY IN!"; "EVERYBUNNY WASH!"; "A FOX!") are dramatically incorporated into the artwork on two-page spreads set in faux-handwritten all-caps. The expressive, child-appealing illustrations propel the action well, and the foxes are supremely unthreatening. Endpapers capture snoozing families. Youngsters of the human, as well as lapine and vulpine, variety will enjoy this nighttime treat. (Picture book. 3-6)

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Toddler-PreS-In this bedtime adventure, a family of bunnies finds one of their friends, a fox cub, has snuck into bed with them one night wearing bunny pajamas. It turns into a big pajama party when mama and papa fox come looking for their cub. All the bunnies and the renegade fox cub, along with his siblings and parents, end up having a fun sleepover. Simple rhyming text is complemented with colorful illustrations. For example, in one scene the bunnies put their pajamas on. The bunnies bedtime routine consists of "Everybunny Wash! And brush your teeth, and clean your paws, and comb your tail, and trim your claws." The bunnies and fox cubs even get a bedtime story. VERDICT Tender and sweet, this is a title that will resonate with small children and their parents. It can also be a winner for a library bedtime storytime.-Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA