Rosalyn Rabbit Returns

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

A second book containing three linked stories about a rural rabbit, Rosalyn, and her human friend, “the little girl in the city whom she’d met on Halloween.” In “A Summer Story,” when all of Rosalyn’s animal friends are busy, the rabbit visits the little girl and finds that her friend’s young brother, Peter, “thinks he’s a caterpillar, not a child.” Rosalyn has her caterpillar acquaintances explain to Peter the bad aspects of caterpillar life, which Peter then renounces to become a hippopotamus. “A Fall Story” finds Rosalyn losing her big front teeth when she bites into a large carrot. Unable to eat, Rosalyn seeks help from the little girl in the city who, armed with a grater, comes to Rosalyn’s rescue with carrot mush until Rosalyn’s teeth can grow back. During “Another Halloween Story,” the little girl, costumed as a rabbit, and Rosalyn, as herself, go door to door collecting treats. When two bullies attempt to take the “rabbits’” treat bags, the mean pair are scared off by Rosalyn’s animal friends.

William Tobin’s black-and-white illustrations, highlighted by the occasional use of green, appear on virtually every page and effectively capture the action and mood of the three stories. The theme of friendship that runs through the book will be enjoyed by preschoolers who hear the stories or by elementary children capable of handling the relatively simple text.