There's No One I Love Like You

PreS-K—Brayden Bunny is tired of his life with his family. He's tired of picking up his toys, washing his whiskers, and doing his hippity-hop jumping jacks. Seeking a life of ease, he declares his intention to go live with his friends Missy Mouse, Benny Badger, Fipsi Squirrel, and Cousin Pepi. One by one, however, he finds each household disappointing. Missy's house is too messy, the badgers' too smelly, and the squirrels' too inaccessible. Cousin Pepi's house is fine, but it's missing something intangible. Predictably, Brayden runs home to his mother, who scratches his ears "as only Mommy Bunny could." As a runaway fantasy, this book seems to serve adult readers more effectively than children, inelegantly driving home the point that rules exist for a reason. The didacticism weighs down a story that is fairly slight to begin with. The watercolor illustrations are warm and rich in cheerful domestic detail, but the text is average. Still, it may be popular with caregivers looking for a book to teach the perennial lesson that the grass is always greener in someone else's family. An additional purchase.—Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD