I think I saw the Easter Bunny!

A kid "SO EGGCITED!" for an annual Easter event finds assisting a legendary being even better than enjoying a local competition in this brief adventure, a series kickoff. Young Alex, portrayed with brown skin and decked out in a blazer, bow tie, and sneakers, is ready to finally snag the winning trophy at the local Easter egg hunt. But when Alex's overladen basket falls apart during the contest, it leads to a face-to-face encounter with the Easter Bunny, who enlists the youth's help on a holiday mission: "The Bunny grabs the basket and my hand,/ then with a mighty flash,/ we take off at SUPER speed/ on a worldwide Easter dash!" Returning home just in time to see another child take first place, Alex decides that while finding eggs is fun, "it is so much better/ GIVING eggs to everyone." Wallace keeps the holiday spirit high with humorous, energetic rhymes, while Bassani sets the fun in a pleasantly busy, bucolic neighborhood rendered in slick, Easter-egg-hued illustrations. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 3--8. (Jan.)