From School Library Journal
PreS-K–Sitting alone at the breakfast table while his mother sleeps in, a young rabbit begins to list his grievances: Mommy always sleeps late, never lets him watch cartoons, yells for no reason, is late picking him up from school, and says that she can't marry him even when he gets bigger. “So I'm really mad at you, Mommy,” the little rabbit announces, “So mad I'm gonna LEAVE. I'm going someplace far, far away. GOOD-BYE.” After two wordless spreads, where the clock indicates that only five minutes have passed, he returns to ask if his mother missed him. She replies with a reassuring “SO much!” With a sparsely worded text, the simple, muted watercolor illustrations, outlined with soft charcoal, communicate most of the emotions and provide the rest of the story. Like Anna Dewdney's Llama, Llama Mad at Mamma (Viking, 2007), this Japanese import, a follow-up to The Snow Day (Scholastic, 2009), conveys the sweet and satisfying message of a mother's unconditional love. Perfect for one-on-one sharing and for generating a discussion about feelings, self-expression, and forgiveness.–Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, ILα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
As she did in her last book, The Snow Day (2009), Sakai focuses on the interaction of a rabbit mother and son. But this time, instead of finding quiet in a force outside themselves, the fury coming from the boy is a storm in itself. “You always sleep late,” the child accuses and then catalogs a list of Mom’s other bad behaviors: watching television; yelling for no reason (well, perhaps it’s the toys in the toilet); insisting he hurry up. Then the boy complains, “You say you can’t marry me, not even when I get bigger.” Wanting to marry a parent is sometimes a fantasy of young children, but this comes out of the blue. He is so mad, he is going to leave. Which he does—then quickly comes back, with assurances from a finally awakened mom that she missed him. As before, the art here is quite special. Lightly textured backgrounds put the child and his mother center stage. The boy’s emotions, in both vignettes and spreads, are subtly yet powerfully displayed, while Mother, with her face rarely shown, seems depressed. Truth, sadness, and love mix here. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper
