LITTLE RABBIT RUNAWAY

Where Margaret Wise Brown’s Runaway Bunny is all talk, Little Rabbit suits action to words, declaring himself a runaway in the wake of a parental scolding and heading out into the garden with a few choice possessions. Along comes Molly Mouse; finding Little Rabbit sulking under a bush, she gets into the spirit of things by helping him to construct a cozy new house from found rubbish, and then moving in. But when she too turns out to be a real “bossyboots,” he stomps out again, this time for a long round of muddy play. Hard rain at last drives him reluctantly back to Molly, who tries to comfort him with a story—which turns out to be too scary for teller and listener both. Happily, two moms then enter to carry the relieved runaways home. Covering his mercurial runaway from paws to ears in an increasingly untidy flannel bunny suit, Horse illustrates the outing, Little Rabbit’s third, with leafy, warm-toned scenes full of finely drawn yard litter, natural detail and small animals. Children just past toddler stage will happily identify with this independent—but not too independent—spirit. (Picture book. 3-5)