BUNNY DAYS

Three tiny tales feature two goats whose domestic activities wreak havoc on six bunnies until a resourceful bear saves the day. In “Muddy Bunnies,” Mr. Goat’s tractor splashes the bunnies with mud, and Bear uses his washing machine to clean them up. In “Dusty Bunnies,” Mrs. Goat sucks the bunnies from their burrow into her vacuum cleaner. Bear uses his giant fan to dust them off. And in “Bunny Tails,” Mr. Goat lops off the bunnies’ tails as he clips his hedge. Using his sewing machine, “Bear knows just what to do.” Amazingly, the bunnies survive innocent mechanized mayhem and “everyone is happy.” Nyeu’s naïve silkscreened illustrations rely on bold lines, a harmonious palette of blues, golds, greens and browns and simple, repetitive patterns to create a fanciful patchwork-quilt landscape in which idyllic natural forms coexist with modern mechanical devices. Scenes of baffled wee white bunnies spinning on delicate cycle, popping out of vacuum bags and holding their powder-puff tails add to the overall whimsy, hapless humor and total charm. (dust jacket opens into poster) (Picture book. 3-5)