Review by Booklist Review
Shea's frantic rabbit might remind you of that crazy pigeon who wanted to drive a bus. But this guy has more restful pursuits in mind or does he? He wants to race you to bed, but he's laid out a circuitous route: up and down hills, through croc-infested waters, on buses and trains, all the while banging and clanging. Matching the jazzed-up text are stylized, computer-enhanced illustrations that feature a bunny so fuzzy you want to reach out and touch. Graphic elements in the design make crisp, cool work of the backgrounds, while fun lurks in every corner (why, there's mustachioed Uncle Ted). This goes on a hare, er, hair too long, but with all their giggling, kids might not notice. On the last page, the rabbit finally hits bed and claims victory, but he must acknowledge his readers: Oh, you're already in bed? . . . Okay then, race you to sleep! On second thought, maybe this energetic tale is best read first thing in the morning.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Even before the title page in this lively romp of a bedtime book, a white rabbit challenges readers to a race to bed. The rabbit's adventures are initially conventional ("Up to bed.../ down to bed..."), but quickly become silly ("All around a goat to bed"). The wide-eyed, irrepressible rabbit goes through poison ivy, swings across a river of crocodiles, and endures outlandish adventures full of non sequiturs ("Sneeze to bed!/ Grilled cheese to bed!/ Angry, angry bees to bed"). In a clever bedtime-friendly ending, it announces, "Looks like I beat you!... Oh, you're already in bed?/ You were way up ahead?/ Okay then, race you to sleep!" Shea's illustrations of the rabbit-with purple kewpie doll eyes, pink ears and belly, and cottony fur-are a tad saccharine, and its expressions are somewhat repetitive, but like the high-energy narrator of Shea's New Socks (a book he pictures the rabbit reading), this zippy rabbit gets the last laugh as it winks at readers to indicate it's only pretending to sleep. Ages 4-7. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-A fuzzy white rabbit with an oversize head races readers to bed, but he finds many reasons to delay bedtime. Animals, toys, and other objects divert his attention. "Sneeze to bed! Grilled cheese to bed! Angry, angry bees to bed!" The whole story is one long chase scene. The rabbit goes up mountains, through an alligator-filled lake, through some poison ivy, on a car, on a bus, on a train. Then he needs "A snack to bed and a drink to bed, a bath, a brush, and a book to bed." When he finally hops into his bed, he discovers that "you" are already there. "Okay, then, race you to sleep!" This is a clever twist, engaging children in an active way. The singsong rhyme flows as the rabbit cavorts through the flat colored pages. The backgrounds are all done in soothing pastel colors, with the exuberant youngster cavorting across the pages. Clever details in the art enhance the telling. Every child who has ever fought against the enforced bedtime will cheer for this rabbit and his adventures, and hopefully join the final race to get to sleep.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (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
A rabbit challenges readers: "Let's race to bed!" Smartly silly rhymes ("Splish to bed...splash to bed! / Scratch an itchy rash to bed!") are paired with action-packed illustrations featuring a wide-eyed rabbit who has the look of a powder puff but the stamina of the Energizer Bunny. (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.
