Review by Booklist Review
In Imagine Harry (2007), Little Rabbit's imaginary friend faded from his life when he started school. In this book, worry about a school assignment is causing Little Rabbit to lose sleep. When his mother explains to him that he is having nightmares, Little Rabbit interprets that to mean a horselike being is coming to his room at night. Nightmares continue as the assignment due date nears, and Little Rabbit still has no topic. Finally, Little Rabbit faces his night mare (actually his blanket and pillow shaped like a horse), asks it to stop bothering him, uses it as his assignment topic and receives a star for his work. Richly colored acrylic illustrations, with abundant details in both the classroom and bedroom scenes, feature a cheerful, comical assortment of animal classmates and a gentle, attentive mother, which lighten the seriousness of the story. The amusing solution to Little Rabbit's problem may help children who are stuck in a similar cycle of worry.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Things that go scare in the night, namely anxiety-induced dreams, challenge sweet and sensitive Little Rabbit in the Klise sisters' (Imagine Harry) reassuring picture book. When a school assignment puts Little Rabbit's mind into overdrive with worry, he's visited at bedtime by a frightening night mare that carries him away, flying fast and furious. Mother Rabbit gently explains that he's having a nightmare and ultimately suggests a strategy for taming the bucking, horrible creature in his dreams. In concise and smooth-flowing text, Kate Klise adds shades of depth to the realistic, childlike personality of her bunny protagonist. The commonsense advice embedded in his cozy exchanges with Mother Rabbit will also encourage readers. M. Sarah Klise's warm, inviting acrylic paintings extend the story in playful and illuminating ways. In several nighttime scenes, for example, Little Rabbit's concerns literally swirl around his room; elsewhere, the bedding is rendered to resemble a horse. Alternately, the calm and cheery orange-hued classroom setting hums with humorous detail and features a funny menagerie of friends. Ages 3-7. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-This charming story has the same tone and spirit as the previous books about this character, Shall I Knit You a Hat? (2004), Why Do You Cry? (2006, both Holt), and Imagine Harry (Harcourt, 2007). Little Rabbit gets a school assignment to prepare a report, and when he goes to sleep that night, his anxieties about choosing a topic lead his imagination to create a mysterious dream creature that carries him away. His mother explains that it was a nightmare, but he interprets the word as "night mare." The next evening, the "horrible horse" returns, jumping and bucking until Little Rabbit finally falls off. Distracted from choosing a topic, he attempts to scare the night mare off with signs and then a trap, but eventually finds that he must face it. When he does so, he sleeps well and is able to present his report about the night mare to the class. This engaging tale about a child's imagination and his strategies to confront his fears is told with gentle humor. The bright-hued acrylic artwork depicts colorful classroom scenes, comforting moments with Mother Rabbit, and Little Rabbit's dream world (the night mare is created out of a pillow and blanket). Readers will be reassured by the final image of the protagonist sleeping soundly. This book will stimulate discussions about facing fears and the stories that our minds create when we sleep.-Susannah Richards, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Anxiety over a school report gives Little Rabbit a visit from the formidable "night mare." When Little Rabbit inadvertently confronts the mare (a tousled blanket and pillow resembling a horse), he finds it's not so scary. The textured acrylics have fun with color, giving more than enough details to make readers want to linger on each page and explore a little longer. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Little Rabbit needs a topic for his school report, but he rejects his mother's suggestions of bugs, clouds, reindeer, hummingbirds or stars. "This is my first report...It has to be wonderful," insists Little Rabbit. But the stress of his deliberations leads to worried sleep and the arrival of a scary visitor in the night. Klise's finesse with the use of puns in her story line coupled with her sister's abstract version of a horse (fashioned out of a flowing blanket behind a pillow-shaped snout) aids children's understanding of two distinct concepts: Mother refers to a "nightmare" while Little Rabbit worries even more about the "night mare." As with any bad dream, conquering it within his own mind and making a final decision on a topic allow Little Rabbit to write and present a star-quality report on night mares after getting a good night's sleep. Deeply opaque acrylics take Little Rabbit back and forth between his bedroom and a classroom populated with a menagerie of friends. A worthy introduction to puns. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
