THE LITTLE RABBIT

A cozy home-away-home adventure with Ollie and her bunny.

A little girl named Ollie who is dressed in a gray rabbit costume is eager to play outside in the puddles with her stuffed toy, Bunny, after the rain stops. As soon as they venture out-of-doors, golden petals, depicted in glinting foil detail on the jacket and in many illustrations, blow by on the breeze. Although text is not clear on this point, the petals seem to have magical powers that transform the toy rabbit into a real animal. Bunny scampers off after other rabbits, and Ollie follows. Their ensuing adventures have Ollie rescuing and comforting Bunny as they brave the elements and seek refuge in a treehouse. The plot, which culminates in a return home and Bunny’s return to toy status, is rather thin, but the grayscale illustrations with green and yellow highlights are utterly charming throughout the book. Die cuts at beginning and closing stages of the book indicate movement between realistic and fantastical realms, but their presence isn’t integral to the storytelling, and they come across as superfluous, even indulgent, given how likely it is that little fingers exploring them might tear the pages.

Lovely to look at but little story to follow.