Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! by Lorna Scobie (review)

Scobie, Lorna Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!; written and illus. by Lorna Scobie. Holt, 2021 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250760746 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys Ad 4-6 yrs

Rabbit is a happy only child who likes not having to share, so it's tough when a new sib arrives. The two have just achieved bedroom détente when, rabbitlike, more and more bunnies turn up, overwhelming our narrator. The neighboring fox has always shown a keen interest in bunnies, so the protagonist sends all the sibs over to play at the fox's, enjoying some peace, until Rabbit misses the little ones, heads over to find them partying down at Fox's place, and happily joins them. The text is brisk and humorous on our hero's initial distaste for sharing; however, the subverted expectation about the fox's inclinations isn't effectively unfolded, and the rabbit's change of heart is abrupt and underexplained. The watercolor, pen, and colored pencil art is cheerfully loopy; the critters all have enormous eyes, informally drawn bodies, and a cozily sketchy feel, and the scenes where the carefully individuated bunny siblings take over the page space as well as our hero's life space are comically horrific. Older sibs may not cave as fast as Rabbit, but they might appreciate the visual expression of their life's disruption.