Little Rabbits' First Time Book (Little Rabbit Books)

From School Library Journal PreS-Three rabbits wake up, clean the house, shop, have lunch, prepare dinner for company, eat, and then say good-bye at the end of the day. Each spread has three levels of text, which are set apart by size, typeface, and placement on the pages. The most basic is the refrain, "Tick-tock, it's [#] o'clock." The second is the story, in which the bunnies do the things mentioned above. The third level shows the featured time, in both digital and standard clock-face format with clear instructions on how to change the moveable plastic hands on the clock at the back of the book. There are also a few questions about what readers do at that time ("What time do you wake up?"). Each spread shows the rabbits, a mouse, and a few boldly colored objects that correspond to highlighted activities-just enough to keep youngsters interested without cluttering the pages. The curved lines contribute to a soft, comforting mood. As only seven times are featured, all on the hour, this is a very basic introduction to telling time. Dan Harper's Telling Time with Big Mama Cat (Harcourt, 1998) is a more useful title for libraries.-Kathleen Simonetta, Indian Trails Public Library District, Wheeling, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc. About the Author Alan Baker has illustrated The Odyssey and The Story of King Arthur, both published by Kingfisher. In addition, Alan created the popular and successful Little Rabbits series, which has sold over half-a-million copies in the U.S. Alan is a lecturer in illustration at the University of Brighton, England.