Review by Booklist Review
Who knew the Easter Bunny had an assistant? Well, in this picture book, he does, and he is a skunk. When the Easter Bunny sets out to teach Skunk the ways of Easter egg dyeing, in five simple steps, they immediately run into problems. Skunk gets so excited by step 1 hard-boiling the eggs that he emits an odor. It is not a small odor either. Please try to control yourself, says Bunny, but steps 2 through 3 are also exciting, so step 4 becomes necessary: REMOVE SKUNK FROM ROOM (push if necessary). Luckily, a nose peg for Bunny brings happy harmony. Thomas' thickly outlined characters, set on Easter egg-colored backgrounds, are hilarious, with their rabbity teeth, bulging eyes, and expressive eyebrows. Children will likely enjoy the yellowish haze that sets in whenever Skunk gets ahem excited as well as Bunny's reactions. The book's final spread offers simple directions for making the Easter Bunny's eggs.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Using exuberant characters and polished comedic timing, Thomas (Is Everyone Ready for Fun?) gives the Easter bunny an unusual assistant-Skunk. Skunk is excited to help decorate Easter eggs, and when Skunk gets excited, he gets stinky. Thomas's familiar brand of chunky cartooning, outlined in thick black lines, stands out against solid backgrounds. The Easter bunny is forgiving at first, telling Skunk, "Please try to control yourself," but resorts to pushing him out of the room before they eventually reconcile (with help from a clothespin). Skunk's enthusiasm is contagious, and readers will be giggling at the stench-themed humor and the Easter bunny's outsize reactions. Ages 2-5. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Large, simple cartoons in bright colors will draw in youngsters to meet the Easter Bunny's eager new assistant-a skunk. Unfortunately, the excitement of boiling eggs, creating dyes, and decorating them all cause Skunk to release his signature odor. The Easter Bunny forces him to watch from outside, then asks readers if the assistant should be allowed to help hide eggs. The final scene shows a grinning skunk with an egg-filled basket, although the wise rabbit's nose is now secured with a clothespin. Thomas provides a brief how-to on egg decorating, including skunk removal. This unique and humorous book will surely entertain kids.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The Easter Bunny demonstrates how to make Easter eggs with the help of his assistant, Skunk. Unfortunately, when Skunk gets excited he emits his odoriferous trademark smell. Heavy black lines complement the bold color illustrations; the use of word bubbles in this book will produce a lot of laughs at storytime. Directions for making Easter eggs are appended. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This super-simple story with bold, cartoon-style illustrations features just two characters, the Easter Bunny and a skunk, and one joke: The overly enthusiastic skunk can't control his excitement, leading repeatedly to unpleasantly odiferous results. The Easter Bunny clearly explains the process for dyeing Easter eggs, with a few numbered steps and easy instructions in speech balloons. The skunk releases his stench at each step until the Easter Bunny sends him outside. After pleading to be reinstated as the Easter Bunny's assistant, the skunk is allowed to help deliver the finished eggs, but the bunny has protected himself with a clothespin on his nose. The story isn't much; all the fun is in Thomas' cleverly rendered facial expressions, body language and Saturday-morning-cartoon pacing. The simple plot and bold, heavily outlined illustrations, as well as the stinky-funny humor will appeal to kids in the early elementary grades as well as to older children with limited reading ability. The directions for making Easter eggs are repeated in numbered format on the last spread. An amusing approach to a popular springtime craft, presented with a spray of not-so-subtle humor. (Picture book. 4-10)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
