Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sharing can be tough, acknowledges this gentle rhyming story about a rabbit whose small cousin comes to visit. The beige youngster follows Bunny everywhere, copying her and interfering with playtime: "As soon as he came,/ he wanted my bear./ Mom said, 'Remember, please let him share!' " Garland accents her digital artwork with cheery pinks and deep crimsons, the latter echoing Bunny's growing irritation. Throughout, Mom's "Please let him share" rings like a harried parent's pleading refrain-she even appeals to Bunny's ego: "All that he wants is to be just like you." A grateful hug seals the cousins' affections, but the ending ('Then he was gone... and I sort of missed him instead") lands abruptly. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Bunny guides her visiting young cousin in play, trying to follow her mother's admonition to share her treasured belongings. To the accompaniment of rhyming text, the cousin pokes and pulls her bear, scatters her beads across the room, and reduces her artwork to scribbles and scrawls. Bunny's lunch even ends up on the floor. In short, her cousin copies everything she does, but he just needs a bit more practice. Action verbs with a bit of alliteration highlight the movement: little cousin "jumped and bumped," "gasped and grabbed," "jostled and jiggled," and "bobbed and blocked." Patience wears thin until her aunt shows Bunny just how much he wants to share with her. With a palette of pinks from pastel to fuchsia, digitally created images with hand-drawn detail personalize Bunny and her tiny cousin. Spilled paint results in footprints across the page, and an endearing pair of handprints on Bunny's back as she waves goodbye, reminded that "share" rhymes not just with "despair" but more often with "care." This engaging picture book addresses a recognizable scenario and is a general purchase for most libraries.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX (c) Copyright 2014. 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 bunny is hosting her younger cousin, who grabs her toys and follows her everywhere, as does her off-camera mother's entreaty: "Please let him share." The rhyming message about accommodating friends and relations is reasonable, but the lesson feels hammered home after too much repetition. Garland's clear-eyed illustrations relay the good, the bad, and the sweet. (c) Copyright 2014. 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
Mom says it's important to share, but it's not always easy. When a younger bunny cousin comes to visit, he wants to have everything his older cousin has and to do everything she does. Her mother keeps reminding her to share, so she lets him play, with disastrous results, as he is rough and careless. She tries to stay out of his way and play other games or read a book or watch television, but he follows her everywhere and gets involved in every activity until she just can't stand it anymore. Won't he ever stop plaguing her and leave? At the end of the day, when he hugs and thanks her, she realizes her mother is right: He copies her actions out of admiration. Morality tales are often pedantic and stiff, but Garland employs bouncy rhymes and a sweetheart of a bunny to get her point across. Even Mom's offstage voice encourages rather than scolds. Visually appealing type winds its way through the large-scale cartoon illustrations, which feature patterned background wallpaper and lots of pink and green eye-catching details. Bunny and her little cousin are full of life, with facial expressions and body language that match every emotion. Young readers will empathize with both characters and will want to read it over and over. A warm, cuddly tale and a total delight. (Picture book. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
