cover image No, No, Bunny

No, No, Bunny

Pamela Kennedy, illus. by Claire Keay. Ideals, $7.99 (16p) ISBN 978-0-8249-1651-0

A brown rabbit in overalls develops a case of sticky fingers, but he soon comes to understand that the items he has wrongfully taken leave him feeling “scared and sad inside.” Little Bunny comes to this realization on his own, without parental intervention, though repeating, Greek-chorus-style admonitions of “No, no, Bunny!” drive the message home for readers. Keay’s gentle watercolor-and-ink artwork do a fine job of capturing Little Bunny’s innocent thefts, subsequent emotional turmoil, and abashed amends he makes to his mother, a friend, and a store owner. A quote from Ephesians (“If a person is stealing, he must stop stealing”) cements the book’s moral takeaway. Simultaneously available: Uh-Oh, Bunny. Ages 2–5. (Mar.)