The Bold, Brave Bunny by Beth Ferry (review)

Ferry, Beth The Bold, Brave Bunny; illus. by Chow Hon Lam. Harper, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-285031-7 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs

Teetu the bunny is fed up with his giant, boisterous bunny family in their small burrow ("There were so many bunnies. It. Wasn't. Even. Funny"), especially when, to his chagrin, his siblings eat his alphabet book. Though he appeals to his mom, she tells him to "be a good brother" and exert patience; instead, Teetu leaves home to explore the forest and make his own book by illustrating his surroundings, figuring that "there were so many bunnies, no one would even miss him." After being alone for a while, Teetu decides that he does miss his bunny family, just in time for them to find him; the long line of rabbits stretches all the way back home and gives him a new page: "B was for belonging." This will be relevant to any kid who feels overshadowed by large families or who struggles with siblings. Lam's digital art simulates nighttime with gray backgrounds highlighted by splotches of red and spookily twisting trees that fade like stamped ink; the bunny family is adorably cartoonish, with thick-set heads and small, low faces in neat lines, each with one single buck tooth. The message of using the destruction of an object to inspire the creation of something new is an optimistic and practical one, and Teetu sets a good example when he shares it with the family that frustrates (and loves) him so easily.