Rabbityness
Author: Jo Empson
Illustrator: Jo Empson
Publisher: Child's Play
Rabbit likes doing all the usual things rabbits do – hopping, jumping and twirling his whiskers. But he also likes doing unrabbity things such as painting and making music. When he dies, he leaves behind gifts that enable the other rabbits to bring joy into their lives by doing unrabbity things too. The pages celebrating the life enhancing qualities of art and music are littered with splodges of colour in contrast with the duller shades depicting more everyday concerns. Rabbit could be seen as a spiritual cousin to Leo Lionni’s Frederick (9781849393096, Andersen Press £7.99).
On a similar theme: The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup (9781408326343), Orchard £6.99
Pencil Dog by Leigh Hodgkinson (9781471169403), Simon & Schuster £6.99