Carry Me! review)

A trio of short poems—"Carry Me!", "Talk to Me!", and "Sing to Me!"—give Wells' signature rabbits an excuse to cavort in this oversized volume. There's not much substance here: the poetry eschews craftsmanship (which Wells has displayed in books such as the Voyage to the Bunny Planet trio, BCCB 12/92) for sequences of predictable, pretty imagery and sweetness ("Carry Me!" is particularly slight, never becoming more than a brief rhymed list of pleasant portability). The tasteful, pastel-dominated scenes lack the sharp character and narrative energy of most of Wells' artistic work (Max and Ruby would make hasenpfeffer of these critters), but the bunnies are nonetheless pretty darned adorable. This is ultimately a gift book; while recipients would be better off with a copy of the Wells-illustrated My Very First Mother Goose (BCCB 12/96), the cuddly rabbits and embrace of sharing do at least give this some genuine child appeal.