Lovey Bunny

January 12, 2015
“I love just about everything!” declares Lombardi’s narrator, a young rabbit whose many passions including reading, making art, and playing dress-up. But Lovey loves her mother’s gorgeous, handmade, full-length evening dress too much: she puts it on (“I’m such a glamorous bunny!” she says, as dreams of paparazzi dance in her head), scooters around the neighborhood waving “to all my admirers,” and returns home with the dress in tatters. Debut author-artist Lombardi starts out strong in establishing her irrepressible heroine, and her pencil and gouache drawings, rendered in shades of pink and brown, have a craftsy, sweet exuberance. But the story’s credibility gets stretched by Lombardi’s literal, grown-up take on Lovey’s feelings (“I got so caught up in the moment”), as well as a resolution that finds Mama happy to stay home from her big event and cook dinner for the family instead, wearing the dress that Lovey has tried to patch. Even the most optimistic kid with the most understanding parents knows that’s not how it goes down in the real world. Ages 3–7. Agency: Shannon Associates.

April 1, 2015
A winsome girl rabbit is her mother's "lovey bunny," but when she borrows her mother's fancy dress with unfortunate results, she wonders if the affection from her mother is in jeopardy. The story begins: "I'm such a lovey bunny! My Mama tells me so. I love just about everything!" Pencil-and-gouache drawings with digital color show a family of four rabbits looking dapper in human clothes. Lombardi chooses quick declarations, shown on slips of lined handwriting paper arranged scrapbook-style, to set the tone for the story. "I love my family. I love to sit and read. I love the SUN!" But what this little bunny really loves is to play dress-up. When she spies a beautiful, long, black dress her mother made, she decides to try it on. Lovey Bunny decides she looks too pretty to stay inside the house. Readers will either giggle or gasp as she rides her skateboard through her neighborhood. Soon the dress' skirt is in shreds. When she returns home, her mother is at a loss: she was to wear that dress to a party that evening. Lovey Bunny is clearly upset with herself but soon gets to work to "repair" the dress. Using the materials available to her, she tapes the fabric together, glues on tinfoil "sequins," and applies plastic patches. The ending satisfies by delivering an unexpected twist. A great book to share with sensitive children concerned about the steadiness of parental love and a pleasant example of creative problem-solving. (Picture book. 3-6)