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Summary
Summary
Frog and Bunny are best friends. RIBBIT, RABBIT! They do everything together, like fight monsters (ZIP IT, ZAP IT!). And even though they get in fights sometimes-YIP IT, YAP IT!-they always make up in the end.
Ribbit, Rabbit features an effortlessly clever text that, in less than 150 words, captures the ups and downs of young friendships. Combined with adorably hip and fresh illustrations and an irresistible package, Ribbit, Rabbit is the perfect choice for the youngest of readers.
Author Notes
Candace Ryan is also the author of Animal House . She spent nine years as a special education teacher and now lives in Southern California with her husband and young son.
www.bookbookerbookest.blogspot.com
Mike Lowery is an illustrator, fine artist, and graphic designer. He is the illustrator of Jo Nesbo's novel Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder , and is also a professor of illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He lives in Georgia.
www.argyleacademy.com
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ryan (Animal House) and Lowery introduce readers to best friends Bunny and Frog. The bipedal, boyish creatures share a wading pool ("Ribbit Rabbit. Dip it, dab it") and battle stacks of boxes that resemble "monsters" ("Ribbit Rabbit. Zip it, zap it"). They both covet Frog's clockwork robot ("Sometimes they fight over little things"), and when the robot's winding key pops off, Bunny swipes it ("Nip it, nab it") and Frog gets angry. They stubbornly march in opposite directions, each with a necessary component, only to realize they should put their friendship, and the robot, back together. They conclude with a unified "Rib-bot Rab-bot," dressed up as cardboard robots. Lowery (Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder), in pencil sketches and off-registered screen prints, creates deliberately clunky, imperfect illustrations that suggest children's drawings; pea-soup green Frog and lentil-brown Bunny have big round heads, small mouths, and long noodly limbs. Lowery's drab pastel palette suits the everyday topic and evokes a certain drabness, as though the friends are playing indoors on a gray day. Ryan's rhymed consonant-vowel pairings similarly follow a reliable pattern, generating a low-key energy. Ages 3-5. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
A straightforward narrative about friends Frog and Bunny's argument over a robot is reinforced by rhymes (or near rhymes) playing off the book's title: "Ribbit Rabbit. / Trip it, trap it." It's a notably inventive and well-sustained bit of storytelling, and the mixed-media art finds both the frustration and humor in the age-old challenge of learning how to share. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Frog and Bunny are best friends who enjoy sharing a variety of experiences, but they don't always enjoy sharing toys. Bunny has a toy robot, but Frog has the key that makes it work. They each hold out for a while, but then, in a gesture worthy of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, Frog and Bunny swap, offering what they think will make the other happiest. In the end, they combine gifts and play together. Throughout the book, language cleverly reinforces the bond between the two friends, particularly with the repeated phrase, Ribbit Rabbit. When the pals are in harmony, the rhyme is congenial and playful: Ribbit Rabbit / Zip it Zap it. But when they are at odds, more aggressive verbs surface: Ribbit Rabbit / Grip it Grab it. The rhythmic text will make for a fun read-aloud with lots of tongue twisting and giggles. Uncluttered, cartoon-style, mixed-media artwork illustrates this story of an age-old problem and the steps true friends can take to fix it.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Frog and Bunny are best friends. They do everything together. "But they don't always get along." They fight, it escalates, and they are sad. Ultimately, each one takes the part of the toy they were fighting over, wraps it, and gives it as a gift, and the rift is mended. The story is nothing new. What makes Ryan's text unique is its simplicity. No page has more than two sentences, usually including "ribbit rabbit," along with another set of matched rhyming words describing the action. This economy of language makes it ideal for reading aloud or for beginning readers. However, the illustrations marry well with the text, and fill in the narrative where the writing leaves it open. The artwork is done in a simple, childlike fashion reminiscent of Bob Shea's work. The characters have round heads, square bodies, and simple limbs, with dot-eyes for Rabbit and googly ones for Frog. The digitally enhanced pencil, screen printed, and print gocco art has a soft, slightly dark palette leaning heavily on grays, blues, and greens. The text looks hand-lettered, with a lot of variety in style and size. The childlike artwork, common scenario, and minimalistic text are likely to appeal to a wide audience.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Ryan's story features the disarming characters Frog and Bunny, two close friends. They go swimming and fight monsters together. "They even eat peanut-butter sandwiches together. / Ribbit rabbit. Wibbit wabbit." But such close proximity can breed a case of the grumps. They squabble over a toy robot, which goes "beep boop, boop beep." They stop talking to one another, but "they know what they have to do." Make up, that's what. These two are self-starters who can figure out their acrimony for themselves, which is a relief from being told what to do or stumbling upon the right thing by accident. The rhythmic, onomatopoeic text is a pretty music, the kind of song you'd sing in the dark to lift your spirits. Equally joyful and engagingand that's a tall orderis Lowery's artwork. It has a childlike, elemental tone, with neat planes of color, but it is wonderfully, touchingly emotive. Best of all, Frog and Bunny have the radiant good cheer of a sock monkey, a mingling of the ridiculous with the sublime for a spellbinding effect.(Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
