BUNNY AND BEE PLAYTIME

Two toddlers, one costumed as a bunny and another like a bee, are the best of friends.

The duo lives in a tidy treehouse, enjoys milk and honey, and plays together in all sorts of weather. Doling out one line per page, the gentle rhyming text states: “On sunny days, they swing in the trees. / On windy days they chase the leaves. // On rainy days they splash in the puddles. / On cold, cold days they have lots of cuddles.” While nothing much happens in this slice-of-life tale, toddlers will delight in the world Williams has built for the twosome. Bee wears a striped outfit with wings and antennae, and Bunny is clad in a rusty brown ensemble that sports rabbit ears. While there is never a parent in sight, the cozy pencil-and-watercolor cartoons in autumnal tones will make readers feel that Bunny and Bee are perfectly safe. Some of the double-page spreads that use a series of spot-art vignettes are difficult to make out due to the tiny size of the images. The pacing also feels rushed at times, particularly as Bunny and Bee are engaged in very active play on one page and then rushed off to bed on the next.

The offering would have been better served in a larger picture-book edition with more pages to allow the delightful illustrations and the simple story room to breathe.