From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2—Little Rabbit wants to attend the circus, and his mother says that he can, but first he has to clean his totally trashed playroom. After a failed attempt, he sneaks away to join the circus. If he can sell 100 tickets to his new act featuring the Meanest Mother on Earth, the ringmaster will be happy to have him join. Little Rabbit easily sells the tickets after spinning a web of exaggeration extolling the traits of his "Mysterious Marvel of a Maternal Monstrosity." He touts her as having two heads with green teeth and enjoying punishing the small and innocent. When he lures his mother to the Big Top, the crowd turns on him due to his false advertising. The woman guarantees to show them something really terrifying—Little Rabbit's playroom. The crowd is awed by the "Emporium of Odiferous Oddities," and Mother instructs them to take a souvenir or two on the way out. Soon the room is tidy and Little Rabbit declares that next time he will simply do it himself. Using single and double pages, the artist populates this story with an array of animals, plenty of detail, and the perfect mix of colors. Children should relate to this circus tale, and parents will enjoy how the mother saves the day.—
Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Little Rabbit from Imagine Harry (2007) continues his adventures when the circus comes to town. When Mother says he must clean his room before he can go, Little Rabbit tells the ringmaster he has the Meanest Mother on Earth and can put her on display. That night at the big reveal, the crowd is displeased. Mother Rabbit doesn't even have two heads “to think up mean ways to punish the small and the innocent.” The Klises once again offer delightful storytelling and art, with winsome, decidedly toylike animal characters. Young fans will enjoy Little Rabbit's antics, even if his room does end up getting cleaned. Grades 1-3. --Courtney Jones
