Good News, Bad News (review)

Two friends, a rabbit and a mouse, have very different ways of seeing the world; the rabbit is as enthusiastic and optimistic as the mouse is grouchy and pessimistic. This engaging picture book uses only three words to tell a carefully developed tale of their half-full/half-empty perspectives on an outing gone awry. It starts when Rabbit arrives with a picnic basket ("Good news!") but turns when it starts to rain ("Bad news"). Fortunately, Rabbit has an umbrella ("Good news"); unfortunately, the umbrella—along with Mouse—gets blown into a nearby tree ("Bad news"). The story continues, with circumstances flip-flopping, until lightning jolts the two friends off the top of a flagpole (where they fled to escape a charging bear) and sends them plunging into a mud puddle. Mouse can't take it any more and explodes at Rabbit ("BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD NEWS!"), but the soon apologetic rodent makes amends by setting up the picnic all over again. There is abundant opportunity to involve listeners in the story, since they can parse the illustrations to discern why each spread is good or bad news; the extremely simple text also makes this a winner for very early readers, who will appreciate the considerable assistance in completing the story. The mixed-media illustrations balance flat planes of saturated colors with thick, rumply black lines; the controlled palette employs earth tones accented with stronger splashes of green and pink. The playfully cartoonish animals are gleefully, relatably expressive; the woebegone rabbit is a particular show-stopper. Young listeners are certain to clamor for this one again and again . . . and that is good news.