Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Mr. Croak, a friendly raven, spreads the word among the animals that Easter has arrived. Though Vicki Vole drops her coffee in fear when she sees him peer down into her den, she quickly recovers and carries the message on to her friend Rob Rabbit. He appears to have a seasonal cold-and still thinks it's Christmastime, judging by his bedside Advent calendar-but when he hears that it's Easter, he bounds off to notify the other rabbits. While the verse is occasionally stilted ("To see him little Vicki/ Is really not too glad./ She's learned from past experience/ That ravens can be bad"), Weldin's smudgy portraits of joyous animals under spring skies capture the giddiness of the season. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Mr. Croak the raven / Is sitting in the sun / Preparing Easter messages / To take to everyone." A clunky rhyming text conveys this slight story of how the animals tell one another that Easter is here. When "the happy rabbits / Go romping far and near," the world knows it's Easter. More pleasing than the inane verse, the vibrant full-bleed illustrations capture the freshness of spring. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This pleasant, rhyming story was first published in Switzerland, adapted from a children's poem that describes several animals working together to alert all the rabbits that Easter is coming. In the introductory pages, Mr. Croak the raven flies down to tell Vicki Vole that Easter is coming. She spruces up for the holiday "as all good creatures do" and then sets off to find her friend Rob Rabbit. He appears to be in bed recovering from a cold, but he bounds up and takes off in a hurry to spread the news to the other rabbits about Easter's impending arrival. The final spread shows several rabbits at a distance romping across a green field with tiny eggs just visible hidden among the spring flowers. Mr. Croak and Vicki Vole enjoy a cup of tea together as one rabbit approaches them with baskets of decorated eggs. The story could not be much slighter, and the rhymes are sometimes a little sing-song, but the pleasant, cheery tone of the text is matched by soft-focus illustrations in bright, jewel tones against azure blue skies. A jovial, sunny story with a slightly unusual interpretation of the role of rabbits in Easter celebrations. (Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
