Rabbit Ears

From the Publisher

“The characters are funny, adorable, and expressive. . . . A good book for sharing.” —School Library Journal“Few preschoolers will not be able to find a kindred spirit in this little bunny.” —Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Like all preschoolers, Hopscotch the rabbit is confident of his likes and dislikes, and "the thing he did not like the most was... having his ears washed." Then he discovers his cool older cousin Bobtail not only doesn't mind ear washing, he even does the job himself. "Big rabbits wash their own ears," Hopscotch realizes. And if he can prove he's big, Hopscotch further reasons (correctly, as it turns out), his parents might just let him spend the night at Bobtail's house. Newcomer Stewart and Rankin (The Handmade Alphabet) give their hero a strong motive and make him a good model for nudging along children's autonomy, and the two illustrations depicting Hopscotch's revelation have a nice sense of comic drama, especially when Hopscotch first spots Bobtail's scrubbing out of the corner of his eye. Although the anthropomorphized domestic scenes seem rather tame, they are sunny, and the message of independence will be well received by newly independent youngsters. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

This instructive picture book tells the story of a young rabbit, Hopscotch, who does not like having his ears washed. Hopscotch likes chocolate cake, his stuffed bunny, Rabbity, and building block towers. Nevertheless, he does not like getting cold, wet paws, or eating lumpy pudding, and he especially does not like getting his ears washed. The text focuses on the lessons to be learned from bigger bunnies; in this case, Hopscotch's older cousin Bobtail provides the paradigm. Bobtail demonstrates the benefits of being an older bunny, and then reveals by his example that older bunnies wash their own ears. Fortunately, Rankin's charming illustrations provide a welcome relief from the heavy didacticism of the text, with her adorable pictures of Hopscotch and his family. The illustrations flow nicely with the text, sometimes appearing with multiple pictures on one page; other pages show the text below or in the middle of the frame with the illustration. Warm colors and lightly drawn outlines make the pictures inviting, ultimately making this book enjoyable to read. 2006, Bloomsbury Publishing, Ages 3 to 7.
—Laura Ruttig

School Library Journal

K-Gr 1-Hopscotch hates to have his ears cleaned. To avoid it, the little rabbit covers his head with a saucepan, upside-down pants, and oven mitts-and, on one occasion, just runs away. Some parents may squirm at the way his mom begs and even bribes her child; they may also blink at how easily the youngster comes around as he follows his older cousin's example and eventually performs the task himself. Although the text is sometimes wordy, it lends itself well to reading aloud, with plenty of potential (including silly song lyrics) for hamming it up. Rankin's acrylic inks and paints have a watercolor gentleness combined with concentrated tints. The characters are funny, adorable, and expressive. Children can look at the pictures over and over and keep finding more enchanting details. A good book for sharing, with a childlike protagonist and a satisfying ending.-Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Sometimes all it takes is the example of someone slightly older to encourage children to try new things. Hopscotch knows he likes chocolate cake, his stuffed bunny, Rabbity, and building tall towers with his blocks. He also knows what he doesn't like and at the top of that list is having his ears washed. His mother tries encouraging, pleading, even tricking, but only a visit from his older cousin, Bobtail, helps to change his mind. Wanting to be old enough to spend the night at Bobtail's house, Hopscotch decides to follow his lead and try washing his own ears. To his surprise it's not nearly as bad as he had thought. Illustrations rendered in bright acrylics feature the endearing rabbit eating with chocolate-covered whiskers; playing make-believe in the garden; and fussing in the bathtub. Few preschoolers will not be able to find a kindred spirit in this little bunny. (Picture book. 4-7)