My trip with drip

Gr 5--8--A lone wolf and a sick bunny save each other in this sweet, understated fable about the power of an unlikely friendship. For the timid, yellow bunny rabbit hooked up to an IV in the forest animal hospital, everything is a potential threat: carnivores, hunters, and especially the painful side effects of chemotherapy. When he unknowingly saves a brusque and ill-mannered wolf from a hunter's bullet, the "Wolf's Code" obliges the wolf to save his life in return. The seemingly incompatible duo embarks on a journey that is one-half road trip buddy comedy through the woods and one-half bittersweet cancer allegory. Mark's expressive cartoon characters are at their most entertaining when their energetic personalities bounce off each other like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. They never let the story get too serious before a wisecrack or gag lightens the mood and a death-defying stunt or explosion moves the plot along. VERDICT A simple, heartwarming story filled with kind and humorous forest creatures that offers readers hope in the face of cancer treatment.--Jon Stevens