The Wonderful Book
PreS-K–A rabbit comes upon a book lying abandoned in the forest and turns it into a makeshift shelter. A growly bear spies it and wants to use it as a hat. Some mice decide it will make a perfect table and a fox turns it into a bed. When a child comes along, he recognizes the object with delight, sits down, and begins to read aloud. The animals gather round to listen, and the story turns out to be about a rabbit, a bear, some mice, etc. All agree it is a wonderful book. The story is simple, but could lead to a discussion of things intended for one purpose that could be used for another. Gore's watercolor and ink illustrations are simple but subtle and will have broad appeal. Roger Duvoisin's Petunia (Knopf, 1950) still stands as the classic for children to understand what books are really for, but its slightly longer and more complex plot requires a somewhat older audience.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJα(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.