THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE NUTBROWN HARE

Little Nutbrown Hare bravely ventures out to the Far Field and back in four sweet new outings illustrated “in the style of” Anita Jeram.

With Big Nutbrown Hare still in attendance, Little Nutbrown nerves himself for a bit of climbing after his favorite Hiding Tree falls in a storm. He is also (very) briefly lost in fog on Cloudy Mountain, and he finds an interesting burrow in distant Far Field (but heeds his inner voice’s warning that dark holes are dangerous). Finally, he invites Big Nutbrown to guess his favorite place as the two are “wandering home at the end of the day.” Complementing McBratney’s mastery at capturing the feelings and concerns of toddlers in words, Wagner and Tarbett channel his original illustrator in posing sinuously drawn characters, alone and together, in ways that subtly but clearly express joy, anxiety, excitement and curiosity. Most strongly of all, they capture the intimate attachment that lights up all of the Hares’ appearances from Guess How Much I Love You (1995) on. Low tufts of wildflowers and other foliage backed by thin washes of pale greens and blues create a properly idyllic natural setting. Despite some unfortunate Americanizations and a picture of flying insects that are confusingly called "daddy-long-legs," this book is still close to sublime.

Required reading for all young children taking their first ventures into the wide world beyond immediate parental reach.