Charlotte R

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

It is not surprising that Charlotte has a bad attitude for a stuffed
bunny who lives in a gift shop: no one ever buys her, because she is one
homely little bunny. Then one day a lady, who once owned and loved a
stuffed toy every bit as drab and uncuddly as Charlotte, comes into the
shop, buys Charlotte, and takes her home. Suddenly Charlotte finds
herself dressed up in fancy clothes, taken for car rides, and given a
family of other unloved stuffed bunnies. To her surprise, Charlotte
finally feels at home.

This book, written by Elaine Bailey and illustrated by her son
Christopher, is weak in both prose and artwork. The story really ends on
page 3, when the lady buys Charlotte; everything that follows is just
happy-ever-after. Christopher Bailey’s illustrations are amateurish at
best. Most are just drawings of the bunny over and over again.
Some—such as those of Charlotte sitting stone-faced while dressed in
her owner’s outlandish outfits—are funny, but the joke wears thin
after the third or fourth time. The best thing that can be said about
this book is that its design and production are good. Not a first-choice
purchase.