Ages 3-7. "Emily Brown" is a very successful book. It is funny and imaginative. Emily Brown and her well-loved stuffed bunny Stanley spend their days going on fantastic adventures together. They go to outer space and the Amazon rain forest and deep-sea diving off the Great Barrier Reef. These activities are interrupted by representatives of Her Excellence Queen Gloriana the Third. The Queen has seen Emily's wonderful bunny, whom she refers to as Bunnywunny, and wants him for herself. First, Emily is approached by the Chief Footman to the Queen who offers her a brand-new teddy bear in exchange for the bunny. Emily politely explains that the bunny is not for sale and that his name is not Bunnywunny but that it is, in fact, Stanley. In the ensuing days, Emily is approached by representatives of the Army, the Navy, and the Air-Force whose requests for the bunny become increasingly more extravagant and progressively more hostile with each successive visit. Finally, Emily awakes one morning to find that her beloved Stanley is gone! He has been stolen by the Queen's Special Commandos. Emily heads straight for the castle to find both the Queen and Stanley miserable. Emily rescues Stanley and shares with the Queen the secret to having a real toy of her own. Giving Queen the brand-new teddy bear she says, "play with him all day. Sleep with him at night. Hold him very tight and be sure to have lots of adventures." This story harkens back to messages learned in "The Velveteen Rabbit" about truly loving a toy and making it real. Neal Layton's illustrations in "Emily Brown" are childlike and evocative. He uses what looks to be a mix of line drawing and photographs to make wonderfully detailed collages. The book is a delight and would be a good addition to any public or school library collection. - Elizabeth Considine, Children's Librarian, Sonoma County Library.
