cover image I LOVE MY LITTLE STORYBOOK

I LOVE MY LITTLE STORYBOOK

Anita Jeram, . . Candlewick, $12.99 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-7636-1698-4

Delivering a similar message to Kristine O'Connell George's Book! (reviewed October 1), Jeram's (Kiss Good Night) story stars a bunny who waxes rapturous about the delights of his favorite book. "I love the way it looks. I love the way it feels. I love the places I can go to in my storybook," he says, neatly encapsulating a preschooler's delight in both the sheer physical appeal of a book ("I love to make its pages flick so I can feel the breeze") as well as the characters and setting. But it's Jeram's winsome watercolors that float this lightweight, agreeable tale. In a nifty visual metaphor, the bunny sets his book down on a nearby branch and steps through a door in a tree; he simultaneously leaves behind a world of framed vignettes for that of full-bleed spreads in pastel washes, and a gentle adventure follows. He encounters such creatures as a frog prince, a not very scary giant (only his shoes and striped socks are visible) and some fetching fairies (tiny white rabbits and a white rat with wings). The story's conclusion may not be dramatic, but it offers plenty of appeal to the preschool set. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)