Review by Booklist Review
Lawrence is a young bunny whose doting mother dresses him up in extravagant outfits even while she gets to go about au naturel, as a normal beast does. In order to open her eyes to the misery of his situation, Lawrence begins gifting his mother with his own homemade outfits, knowing that she's too polite not to wear them. Soon she realizes what she's been putting her young bun through, and together they cast off their clothes, making a kite of the discarded garments and returning to life in the buff. Kousky (Harold Loves His Woolly Hat, 2018) plays to a common desire for many little ones, who will root for Lawrence in his quest for freedom. Laughter will rise along with the absurdity of his intricately patterned outfits sweater suits, ear stockings, inflatable helium-balloon pants rendered loosely in bright watercolor. Pair with Peter Brown's Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (2013) for a surefire storytime, but be prepared for streaking toddlers.--Ronny Khuri Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kousky (The Blue Songbird) takes an emotionally savvy look at a mother-child relationship that's gone a little off the rails. None of the other animals wear clothes, including Lawrence's mother. But "ever since Lawrence was a baby bunny, his mother has loved to dress him up." Poor Lawrence lets loose one gripe ("Every other beast gets to go naked. Why can't I?"), but all the getups, some handmade, are acts of love, and so Lawrence puts up with outfits that include "inflatable helium balloon pants," which send him soaring over treetops upside down. The digitized watercolor and pencil fashion parade strikes just the right balance of inventiveness and awfulness; readers will simultaneously feel for the wearer while finding the broad array amusing. When Lawrence finally decides that "Mommy must be stopped," his solution--ingenious, rascally, and still deeply empathic--will elicit knowing smiles. What kid can resist the opportunity to teach an adult a lesson, especially when the adult initially has no idea that she's being taught, and everybody wins in the end? Ages 3--7. (Jan.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--Mrs. Rabbit loves her little bunny, Lawrence, with all her heart. Unfortunately, Mrs. Rabbit shows her love by dressing him up in the wildest, most creative outfits she designs and makes for him. They are so inventive, so colorful…and so awful. All Lawrence wants is to be a regular bunny who runs around in his furry, natural state. He complains to his mother, but she just reminds him how very much she loves him. Lawrence finally decides that he needs to show his mother how very much he loves her. He stays up one night and makes the wildest, most creative outfit he can think of for his mother. Mrs. Rabbit wants to save it for a "special" day but Lawrence's sniffles make her wear it at once. Over the course of the day, the stares and looks she receives make her realize that Lawrence might be happier if she showed her love for him in some other way than high fashion. The tone of this story is fun and ridiculous, which is matched beautifully with the colorful and weird (inflatable helium pants?) outfits these bunnies model. VERDICT This is a smile-ear-to-ear kind of read-aloud for the younger crowd. The creativity can continue by having children design some eclectic outfits of their own.--Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
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