cover image Don't Call Me Little Bunny

Don't Call Me Little Bunny

Gregoire Solotareff. Farrar Straus Giroux, $13.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-374-35012-3

A diminutive rabbit by the name of Jack Carrot can't understand why everyone insists on calling him ``Little Bunny.'' His kindly grandfather explains that it is just part of being a cute little rabbit and that when he is older, people will just call him Jack. Time passes. Bigger, but not big enough, the bunny comes to long for power and mastery to compensate for his size. He is determined to develop the reputation of a rascal, which will gain him the recognition he craves. How he pursues his goals, winds up in jail, meets an even smaller bunny named Jim Radish and escapes to a new home in a mountain hideout is only the outline of this tale. In Solotareff's scratchy drawings, readers will find his tender regard for small creatures in full evidence: the depictions of the miniscule Jack on skis, holding up a bank or weeping forlornly in a prison cell are fraught with both pathos and hilarity. The creator's ability to present situations that are at once humorous and poignant is a welcome gift. Ages 3-up. (Oct.)