The Rabbit, the Dark, and the Cookie Tin

PreS-Gr 2–In order to stave off bedtime and the encroaching night, a not-so-sleepy little rabbit lures The Dark into a cookie tin and snaps the lid closed. The eponymous Dark chastises Rabbit for his trickery and reminds him of all the good things that happen in the dark, such as nocturnal animals coming out to play and being able to have breakfast in the morning. Ultimately Rabbit realizes there are many great things about the night, including bedtime stories. The animal characters, including foxes, bats, owls, and especially Rabbit, are sweet and expressive. The mixed-media illustrations make good use of light and deeply saturated colors to provide a dulcet, sage quality to the formless Dark, without being overly foreboding. Perhaps the most striking feature of the design is when the story culminates with the cookie tin unfolding into a large pop-out starscape, which takes a bit of dexterity to unfold. In this way, Rabbit’s orderly world of light, portrayed through ample white space, striped patterns, and even straight rows of carrots, is juxtaposed with the beautiful asymmetry and rich blues of nighttime.