cover image THE EASTER PARTY

THE EASTER PARTY

Lucy Su, . . Frances Lincoln, $14.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-1-84507-018-2

It's a fortunate turn of events when Rocky Rabbit and Chubby Chick's kite gets away from them on the morning of the big Easter party. That's because the kite lands at the house of a very sleepyheaded Easter Bunny. "Thank you for waking me up," he tells the duo, rubbing his eyes. "I must get to the Easter party!" The egg roll (which consists of all the animals chasing one large, polka-dotted egg down a hill) proceeds as planned, and a resounding "Happy Easter, everyone!" closes the story. With its straightforward, minimal text, jellybean palette and characters who possess the roly-poly charms of beloved stuffed animals, Su's (the Kitten and Baby Kitten series) holiday book may seem, at first glance, to offer the same fleeting pleasures as candy nestled in plastic green grass. But there's quite a bit more here for the very young to savor. Su employs a surprising variety of framings and perspectives to give her pictures some drama, and adds volume and texture with subtle layerings of watercolor and chiaroscuro-like shadings. This visual sophistication, however understated, adds satisfying substance. Ages 2-4. (Mar.)