cover image Two Bunny Buddies

Two Bunny Buddies

Kathryn O. Galbraith, illus. by Joe Cepeda. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-544-17652-2

In a stark, Godot-esque landscape, a jagged path diverges and two bunny BFFs can’t agree which way to go. The discourse quickly deteriorates (“Carrot Head!” “Beetle Brain!”), and the bunnies split up (“One bunny here. One bunny there”). But when the bunnies both spot delicious treats (“Berries, red and ripe” “Clover, green and sweet”), they realize simultaneously that they’re better off nibbling and munching together. There’s something deeply resonant about the way Galbraith (Where Is Baby?) and Cepeda (Cub’s Big World) distill their story down to its essential visual and verbal elements. Cepeda’s bold, scraggly ink line conveys both a daunting environment (albeit one rendered in Easter egg colors) and two strong personalities. Okay, maybe it’s not Beckett, but don’t be surprised if it prompts good discussion about what friends owe each other. One thing is certain: it’s easier to go on when one has a full stomach and a good friend to lean on during naptime. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Liza Pulitzer Voges, Eden Street Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Mar.)