Here with me

"Sometimes I sit and wonder/ who I would choose to be/ if I could wish a wish/ to be a different kind of me." A small, tan-furred rabbit sits on a rock in the forest, its fuzzy paw pointed toward its head in an indication of deep thought as it considers the possibilities. What about a fox? "I'd bounce through the forest/ till it was time for bed." A bear? "I'd be big and scary/ with my grrr, grrr, grrr!" Repeated animal sounds offer chances for listeners to chime in. In soft, scumbled painterly spreads, Walker (the If Animals Kissed Good Night series) paints the rabbit meeting the animals and mimicking their actions, its winning face scrunched up in a rabbit smile. Visibly textured strokes add a sense of cuddly fuzziness. After turning to imaginative prospects throughout, the rabbit returns to the security of the familiar world: "But I would never choose/ a different kind of me,/ because right here with you,/ is where I want to be." In a sweet solo debut, Walker affirms the importance of the child's primary bond--and the first stirrings of imagination and independence. Ages 3--6. (Nov.)

A tiny rabbit questions their place in the world. Holding hands with a larger, bluish-gray rabbit (presumably a parent) on the title page, the little flop-eared protagonist goes on to wonder "who I would choose to be / if I could wish a wish / to be a different kind of me." The rabbit then imagines bounding through the forest as a fox, growling like a bear, and sneaking (and squeaking) like a mouse. "I might choose a zebra. / Wouldn't that be fun? / I'd munch on the grass, / then I'd run, run, run!" But out of all the possibilities, the rabbit always returns home, proudly declaring, "Though if I had a choice / of just who I'd be, / I wouldn't change a thing, / so you'd be here with me." The rhymes are steady and gentle, set against smudgy, dreamlike backdrops in a palette of lush greens and warm, toasty yellows. The rabbit appears envious of others' abilities but always circles back to a connection with family. It's not a tale of self-acceptance or identity but rather unconditional love. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Cozy, charming, simple. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.