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Summary
Summary
It's time for another Rabbit and Bear adventure!
SPLASH! A Mysterious Thing lands in Rabbit and Bear's peaceful summer lake. Is it exciting or terrifying? Is it a tiny, fluffy owl or a huge, hungry monster? And has Rabbit finally met a creature with worse habits than himself? Rabbit's SURE he can solve this mystery. But when he accidentally turns the Best Day Ever into the Worst Day Ever, he needs Bear's help...
Rabbit and Bear lead readers on a fantastic adventure in this tale of friendship, acceptance, and what you can do with blueberry poop.
Author Notes
Julian Gough is an award-winning novelist, playwright, poet, musician, and scriptwriter. He was born in London, grew up in Ireland, and now lives in Berlin. Among many other things, Julian wrote the wonderful novel Connect , and the ending to Minecraft , the world's most successful computer game for children of all ages. He likes to drink coffee and steal pigs.
Jim Field is an award-winning illustrator, character designer, and animation director. He grew up in Farnborough, worked in London, and now lives in Paris. His first picture book, Cats Ahoy! , written by Peter Bently, won the Booktrust Roald Dahl Funny Prize. He is perhaps best known for drawing frogs on logs in the bestselling Oi Frog . He likes playing the guitar and drinking coffee.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--4--Rabbit and Bear are enjoying a soak in the lake when something falls out of the sky that changes the course of their day, and perhaps even their lives. The "Mysterious Thing" turns out to be a small owl, which Rabbit quickly condemns as a potentially vicious predator and soon persuades Woodpecker, Mouse, and Vole to agree. Bear finds their judgments hasty but wanders off to eat blueberries rather than risk a confrontation with her friends. Meanwhile, Rabbit and the others place the still unconscious owl in a jail constructed from a hollow tree stump for her potential crimes. When Owl regains consciousness, the animals learn she is the eponymous "snack" as she fell out of the sky while fleeing larger owls from the next valley who were trying to eat her. Rabbit sees the error of his ways and apologizes. The final act includes gathering Bear's blueberry poo to attract dung beetles for Owl to snack upon, and a comedy show in which the greatest hit is the loudest belch. The story's pointed politics are readily apparent--early on, Rabbit's list of scariest words include "Trumpwig"--however, the underlying message addresses universal themes of the evil that comes from prematurely judging people who are different from ourselves. The story's use of bathroom humor translates these often difficult themes into a realm of absurdity that will certainly delight and engage young readers. VERDICT A humorous elementary read in which social commentary and poop jokes can peacefully coexist.--Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD
Kirkus Review
A sudden new arrival prompts a flare of xenophobia in Bear's excitable lapine buddy.Any resemblance to current affairs must, of course, be coincidental. Once the tiny feathered stranger who has crashed into a tree and fallen unconscious is identified as an owl, Rabbit, who has never met one before, is terrified. "Owlseat you ALIVE! And the next day they BURP UP YOUR BONES!" he shouts. "Lock her up!" Failing in her effort to defuse the panic ("One bone at a time, or all of them at once?"), Bear sadly wanders off in search of blueberries as Rabbit proceeds to whip the other forest creatures into a frenzy. Happily, all ends well after Owl wakes up and calmly explains that she is a small burrowing owl who eats only fruit and bugsmostly dung beetles. Embarrassed, Rabbit and the rest apologize and pitch in to furnish the owl with a comfy new homeliberally daubed with blueberry poo (Bear's contribution) that, to the amazement of all, instantly attracts, as Owl puts it, "Fast foooooofoooooofooooood!" Bear and Rabbit agree that everyone's "normal on the outside" and "weird on the inside""And that's OK." Woodsy duotone scenes on nearly every page feature comically wide-eyed creatures of diverse size and species looking amazed, panic-stricken, or, in Owl's case, disarmingly cute.A pointed jab at wanton fearmongering, lightened by a bit of philosophy and rather a lot of gas. (Animal fantasy. 6-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Rabbit and Bear are having a marvelous day together when they're interrupted by a tiny, crash-landing owl. Rabbit panics, having heard that owls are monstrous creatures, and gathers the other forest critters to discuss the situation. As hysteria spreads, they agree to imprison the unconscious owl in a tree-stump jail cell, but when it wakes up, it becomes clear that the owl is not the monster they've imagined. Rabbit and the others admit their false assumptions, apologize profusely, and welcome the little bird into their community. The lessons here are serious, but the irreverent text is uproariously funny, full of scatological humor and wild postulating. Field's illustrations are the perfect pairing, capturing the wild-eyed panic alongside the sheer adorableness of the characters. A wonderfully silly tale that fits important lessons among literal poo humor.
