The Black Rabbit

One sunny day, a tiny white rabbit notices a gigantic and strangely quiet black rabbit by his side. No matter where he goes, "the Black Rabbit was right behind him." Readers will immediately recognize the Black Rabbit as a shadow, yet its "pursuit" prompts the white bunny to take cover in "the deep, dark wood"--a poor course of action. Having evaded his silhouette, the bunny now faces "two eyes shining brightly in the dark." He hurries back into sunlit fields, pursued by a slavering wolf, and braces for an attack that never comes; the Black Rabbit reappears and sends the predator scurrying. Leathers, an animator/illustrator making her children's book debut, creates uncomplicated watercolor spreads that balance the ominous presence of the Black Rabbit with humor had at the white rabbit's expense. Her bipedal, kawaii-influenced white bunny has an oversize head and petite body, and her snaggly-fanged, shaggy, and slant-eyed wolf recalls Lauren Child's caricatures. Images of the long-eared shadow against river reeds and hedges lend an unsettling touch to a lightly funny, lightly creepy story. Ages 3-6. Agent: Kirsten Hall, the Bright Agency. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 3--When a little white rabbit leaves his burrow one gloriously sunny day, he see a looming black rabbit. Readers will understand that the figure is only his shadow, but the unknowing bunny runs, with Black Rabbit on his heels. He tries hiding behind a tree and swimming in a river, but the creature is still there, following him to the other side. Desperate, he runs into the deep, dark woods where he finally escapes the black rabbit. But another threat, a wolf, awaits him there, with "two eyes shining brightly," and Rabbit runs back out of the woods with Wolf close on his tail. Will the wolf devour him? Is Black Rabbit still out there, waiting for him? In this simple picture-book tale of light and shadows, the protagonist learns that what frightens us most may turn out to be our saving grace. It's a tad hair-raising at times but the ending will please. Leathers's rabbit is charming, traveling on two feet, with an exaggerated stuffed animal form that is endearing and reassuring.--C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY