Review by Booklist Review
As proof that even a trifle from the late artist is picture-book gold, this nearly wordless bit of foolery--originally printed by a museum in 1970 and published here in a larger trim size--tempts young children to count up to 10, as rabbits keep popping out of an increasingly annoyed young magician's top hat, and then to count back down as they pop back in. As the lad becomes positively festooned with variously colored bunnies, his expression of blithe confidence changes to a scowl and then, climactically, a flustered look, before disappearing in the furry crowd. Once the count starts going down, though, his smile returns, and after "2" becomes "1," then changes to "NONE" and finally "ALL DONE," he tips his hat with a flourish and strolls grandly offstage. You can practically hear the applause . . . not only from audience members who appreciate the performance but from the legions of Sendak fans who may not have encountered this charming little gem before.High-Demand Backstory: This never-before-published Sendak might be small, but it surely will be of interest to his many, many fans.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Originally created as a miniature pamphlet for a museum fundraiser, this previously unpublished treasure from the late Sendak recalls the creator's Nutshell Library in its gentle-hued simplicity. A counting book format follows a magic act gone pear-shaped as a young magician, drawn in a familiarly Sendakian pen-and-ink style, is kitted out in a child-size evening jacket, bow tie, and top hat. Alone on the verso, the figure takes a bow before flourishing a wand with easy grace and summoning a rabbit from the hat: "1," the spread's text reads. Producing more rabbits in various hues, the magician sports a confident grin, balancing the bunnies on his head and arms while standing on one leg. Soon, though, the rabbits grow unwieldy, and the magician's face registers frustration, then becomes buried as a 10th rabbit appears. "So then--" reads a line of the book's minimal text, "he made them vanish again!" and the series reverses, just as delightfully. The action runs full circle from mirth to mayhem and back, and droll, controlled sketches order the chaos, highlighting each new development, beat by beat, en route to a satisfying "all done." The magician's skin reflects the white of the page. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--Counting from 1 to 10 and back again--that's the concept in this never-before-published book from the renowned children's book creator. With pure Sendak whimsy, this simple story will grab readers' attention. At first, a child magician stands next to the podium marked with the letter "M" (for Magician, Maurice, or perhaps for Max from Where the Wild Things Are?). Dressed in striped trousers and tails, the magician smiles confidently as the first rabbit appears. Then the child's facial expressions change as each additional rabbit jumps out of the top hat, landing on the child's arms, legs, back, and head. Will this mound of bunnies overwhelm the young conjurer? Of course, Sendak is a master at showing a child regaining control, and that's exactly what happens as the magician makes the rabbits vanish one by one, an exercise in counting backward. "None," and "All done," close out the book as the child walks offstage. The illustrations are in gray scale with the rabbits depicted in white, yellow, blue, and gray. Useful as a counting book for young children, this charmer also lends itself to home or classroom discussions of strategies for recognizing and dealing with obstacles and frustration. VERDICT A newly discovered treasure from a beloved children's book magician.--Gloria Koster
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Review by Horn Book Review
The jacket copy of this very simple, essentially wordless counting story calls its young protagonist Mino, but the M emblazoned on his stage podium could just as well stand for Max or Mickey or Maurice, as another little boy with flair, talent, and determination. One by one, the boy pulls ten rabbits from a hat; he puts them back the same way. The fun is in the counting, sure, and Sendak is careful to let us see the right number of rabbits on any given page, but there's also drama in the changing expressions on the boy's face as a magic trick that begins in pride and insouciance starts to overwhelm him. A true Sendak hero, he sets himself to rights. Originally privately printed for Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum in 1970, Ten Little Rabbits, in casual black line with some splotches of color on the rabbits, might not be Important Sendak, but its pleasures are clear and go straight to the heart. Roger SuttonMarch/April 2024 p.75 (c) Copyright 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
A posthumously published tale of overly prolific bunnies from a master of the picture-book form. A young magician bows before readers and releases a rabbit from his hat. More and more rabbits appear. As the book counts from one rabbit to 10, the boy becomes increasingly frustrated with the sheer number of bunnies appearing from his headwear. His irritation is alleviated only when the narrator declares, "So then--he made them vanish again!" Now the numbers count down, and with every rabbit gone the child grows distinctly happier and more lighthearted. Originally created in 1970 as a pamphlet for a fundraiser for Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum, this book is visually similar to such Sendak crowd-pleasers as the Nutshell Library titles, particularly One Was Johnny (1962). Adult fans seeking the darker and weightier subject matter associated with the author's later works would do best to look elsewhere. Children, however, will be drawn to the escalating tide of fuzzy bunnies and will share the protagonist's sense of satisfaction at watching them go. The artwork is filled with simple charm, and the counting element proves to be a nice plus as well. The protagonist has skin the white of the page. As a counting book, fun. As a new Sendak book, by its mere existence, notable. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
