Here is Big Bunny

November 30, 2015
Henry (Cat Got a Lot) offers a light urban mystery as readers catch glimpses of an enormous white rabbit appearing throughout a bustling town. An understated, repetitious text gives children the chance to display their reading skills, as well as their ability to piece together picture clues. “Here is a foot,” writes Henry as cats, dogs, and other animals cluster around Picasso-like paintings and Calder-esque mobiles in a museum, a giant white paw visible through the building’s glass windows. “Here is a tail,” he continues (it’s tucked behind some tall trees in a city park, where citizens stroll, sit, and read the paper). None of the animals seems alarmed by the presence of this Godzilla-size bunny—construction workers and library visitors who spot the rabbit’s face look downright tickled—which is in itself something of a clue. Each page delivers plenty to pore over, inviting kids to make up their own stories-within-the-story, and the revelation of the bunny’s identity (a parade is involved) should elicit some larger-than-life chuckles. Ages 4–8.

December 15, 2015
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Big Bunny! Controlled, repetitive text invites children to read short sentences directing them to find "a foot...a hand...a tail," and so on. These named body parts belong to a figure that isn't wholly visible until the book's end, provoking readers to search them out in the detailed images. Their stark whiteness makes them stand out on the pages, which depict a busy, vibrant setting reminiscent of those in Richard Scarry books and are likewise populated by anthropomorphic animals going about their days. Shifting perspective and scale make it clear that the creature is not just another one of these animals, and many readers will use the title and cover image to infer that they belong to the eponymous Big Bunny. The reveal at the conclusion is that Big Bunny is not a giant but a large helium balloon of the sort seen in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. While this clever conceit is carried out with accessible text, there is a little quibble: the saturation and intentional busyness of the illustrations leaves little rest for new readers' eyes. The sentences and vocabulary are simple, but finding them on the page is the challenge here. Big fun for new readers who are ready to turn their Where's Waldo skills to finding text. (Early reader. 5-7)

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March 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-Big Bunny is a humongous white rabbit who towers over busy city streets. The inhabitants of this city are anthropomorphized animals who go about their daily activities despite the presence of Big Bunny, who is shown piecemeal-a foot, a hand, a tail- for the early sections of the book. The urban residents are depicted visiting a modern art museum, shopping, playing at a park, and even sunbathing on a roof. Each scene is jam-packed with vibrant details and activities. Readers are guided by simple sentences to search these pictures for parts of Big Bunny, such as large white ears poking out among rooftops and an eye spying on an art class through a skylight. At the end of the book, Big Bunny is revealed in his entirety. An author's note explains Big Bunny's inspiration. VERDICT This simple story with its detailed ink and paint illustrations will please beginning readers.-Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
"Here is a tail. / Here is an ear." Glimpses of what is revealed to be a parade balloon at book's end ("Here is Big Bunny") float past windows and rooftops while personified animals bustle about the city. A very simple, repetitive easy-reader text relies heavily on Henry's vibrant ink and paint illustrations, which include plenty of details to pore over.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)