THE RABBIT AND THE SHADOW

Name: THE RABBIT AND THE SHADOW
Author: Mélanie Rutten
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5485-8

by Mélanie Rutten ; illustrated by Mélanie Rutten ; translated by Sarah Ardizzone ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 15, 2018

With 56 pages, a meandering plot, and characterization that tends toward the symbolic, this is a picture book for patient,...

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An unusual cast of characters interacts in an odd, circular tale translated from the French.

The opening pages inform readers that “This is the story of… / a Rabbit who wants to grow up; an anxious Stag; a Soldier at war; a Cat who keeps having the same dream; a Book who wants to know everything; and a Shadow.” The narrative begins with a chapter about the child Rabbit and the Stag that adopts it, following which each character has its own section. The story builds as the characters’ separate tales become intertwined with one another’s and ends full circle back with the Stag and the Rabbit. As the story unfolds, the characters explore their emotions with symbolism looming large; the disconsolate Rabbit weeps at the bottom of a hole; the Soldier pursues adventure in the form of an erupting volcano. They bare their souls in dialogue, and the Soldier, referred to with masculine pronouns, takes off his helmet and is revealed to be a girl. All are stuck in place in some fashion, but their interactions help them move on. The line-and-watercolor illustrations—mostly vignettes, though there are some full-page paintings—heighten the moodiness. The overall effect is a somewhat moralistic picture book about birth, coming-of-age, and death that demands contemplative readers with a high tolerance for the surreal.

With 56 pages, a meandering plot, and characterization that tends toward the symbolic, this is a picture book for patient, older readers. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 15, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-8028-5485-8

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Eerdmans

Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)