NIGHT RABBITS
by Monica Wellington & illustrated by Monica Wellington
A pair of plump white bunnies hop through their nocturnal pursuits—nibbling vegetables and berries from a farm, running from owls, raccoons, a red fox, a lumbering bear (all cuddly, non- threatening predators), and seeking shelter from a nighttime rainstorm. The hypnotically simple snippets of verse are loaded with nouns and verbs: ``Nighttime ending/Bright sun rising/Scurry hurry home.'' Mattisse-like cut-outs romp through a Grandma Moses landscape in vividly colored spreads. Totally charming and uncynical, this is a good book for toddlers. Amid so many other titles full of drop-dead opulence, Wellington's simplicity is a stand-out. (Picture book. 2-5)