The Easter Bunny's Assistant
Who knew the Easter Bunny had an assistant? Well, in this picture book, he does, and he is a skunk. When the Easter Bunny sets out to teach Skunk the ways of Easter egg dyeing, in five simple steps, they immediately run into problems. Skunk gets so excited by step 1—hard-boiling the eggs—that he emits an odor. It is not a small odor either. “Please try to control yourself,” says Bunny, but steps 2 through 3 are also exciting, so step 4 becomes necessary: “REMOVE SKUNK FROM ROOM (push if necessary).” Luckily, a nose peg for Bunny brings happy harmony. Thomas’ thickly outlined characters, set on Easter egg–colored backgrounds, are hilarious, with their rabbity teeth, bulging eyes, and expressive eyebrows. Children will likely enjoy the yellowish haze that sets in whenever Skunk gets—ahem—excited as well as Bunny’s reactions. The book’s final spread offers simple directions for making the Easter Bunny’s eggs. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ann Kelley