Review - A is for Another Rabbit

A is for Another Rabbit
by Hannah Batsel
Date: 2020
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A rabbit-obsessed narrator makes an owl increasingly irate by refusing to play by the rules of a conventional alphabet book. Every entry is about bunnies, from "delightful, dynamic, daredevil rabbits" to "xylophone rabbits and rabbits on drums!" Readers will pore over scenes of bunnies at the circus, in a tiny town, at the museum, even in a motorcycle gang. Author-illustrator Hannah Batsel takes readers on a delightful romp through the alphabet and keeps them laughing all the way to the ridiculously fun conclusion.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a fun twist on an alphabet book. It's probably suitable for older children (not the ones who typically read alphabet books) because of the more complex narrative and the advanced vocabulary. This isn't a straight "A is for apple" sort of book. In fact, from the very first entry, the genre is turned on its head.

An owl is trying to explain the alphabet. But some bunnies take over and make the book all about them. Everything has to do with rabbits. The owl gets frustrated, and just when he thinks he's gotten the upper hand... things go south. The poor guy ends up amusingly frazzled, while the rabbits take over.

There's lots to look at in the pictures, and plenty of fun details to be found. There are so many different types of leporine characters in the book (from robot rabbits to Picasso-style bunnies) that readers will probably find something new with each read.

While I'm often wary of books like this because the intended audience is unclear (Will toddlers "get it"? Will older kids even want to read an alphabet book?), I think this one is worth checking out. At the very least, it offers some fun pictures to look at (and you might learn a few new words, too).

Thank you to NetGalley and Carolrhoda Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 4.29 out of 5