GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude. Dot’s perpetual scowl is particularly acute.Īdd to the growing collection of sibling stories, adoptive and otherwise, that delight and instruct.

OHora’s stark acrylics, with strong black line and accents, make use of few colors (shades of red, gray and gold) to good effect. There in the produce department is a bear! He thinks Wolfie is dinner! Dot fiercely and feistily defends her brother, and when the bear dismisses her as a bunny and announces he is bigger, she responds that she’s HUNGRY and she will start munching on the bear’s TOES. Dot sticks to her line, however, even when her little brother-now much bigger than she is and clad in a giant pink bunny suit-accompanies her to the Carrot Patch, the local organic co-op. But Mama and Papa are charmed by how much he eats and how well he sleeps and even how well he drools (on Dot). Young Dot grasps the situation right away: “HE’S GOING TO EAT US ALL UP!” she exclaims. The Bunnys live in a garden-level (which is Brooklyn for “basement”) apartment and come home one day to find a basket holding a baby wolf at their door.

'Or.I'll eat you all up!') while Wolfie proves he's not only trustworthy but full of love.A tongue-in-cheek tale of a wolf in Bunny clothing. In a gratifying showdown, Dot overpowers the bear ('Let him go!' she yells. But he's not baring them at Dot-he's worried about the huge bear behind her. 'I knew it!' she hisses when Wolfie bares his fangs while they're shopping. More laughs come from the irresistible contrast between Dot's sweet bunny countenance and her furious glares of rage. OHora's ( Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!) distinctive folk-naif spreads poke gentle fun at hipster families-Papa and Mama are decked out in cardigans and argyle, while Dot and Wolfie shop at a food coop selling such wares as locally-sourced bamboo.

But Papa proudly snaps pictures of Wolfie chowing down on carrots ('He's a good eater!'), and Mama's smitten, too. 'He's going to eat us all up!' cries daughter Dot.

* 'Dyckman's ( Tea Party Rules) rousing, warmhearted story opens as a family of city-dwelling bunnies discover a wolf cub in a basket on their front stoop.

Wolfie the bunny book