Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora
Buy Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Summary: Wonderful illustrations and a good, funny story make this fun to read and reread.
Buy? yes	Borrow? yes
Pages: 40	Date: January 2016
Publisher: Andersen Press
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781783443864
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It may be that you are on the lookout for a useful picture book that deals with sibling rivalry in a helpful way. It may be that you have a wolf- or rabbit-obsessed toddler. Or it may just be that you like a good story that's fun to read. Fortunately for you, this book will cover all of those requirements! Wolfie the bunny arrives in the Bunny family's lives in a rather suspicious way, when he is left on their doorstep in a basket. Mama and Papa Bunny are immediately charmed by their new baby, but big sister Dot remains alarmed, shouting out 'He's going to eat us all up!' but receiving no response from her smitten parents!

Wolfie settles in quickly, happily eating carrots and sleeping very well. Dot does not sleep well, and when her friends come around to visit they all scream en masse 'He's going to eat us all up!' but, once again, there is no response from Dot's parents. To be honest, I did begin to wonder at this point if the finale to this tale was going to involve the sad demise of poor Dot! Dot decides to go and play at her friend's house instead and, when she leaves, Wolfie cries for the first time. When Dot comes back, Wolfie shadows her everywhere, much to Dot's frustration. You'll be relieved to hear that there is no bunny massacre at the end of this story. Instead, Dot comes to Wolfie's rescue, in a rather brave way, thus keeping her little brother safe, and resolving her fears over being eaten by him!

Although your toddler is unlikely to be worried about their new baby brother or sister eating them, there are still opportunities to discuss the little worries and fears that appear with the arrival of a new family member. I felt rather frustrated with Dot's parents, to be honest, who continue to ignore poor Dot, but I did laugh at the picture of them feeling gleeful over Wolfie eating carrots, since both parents have a camera in hand, and Papa Bunny even has a couple more slung over his shoulder, determined to capture every moment with his new son!

The story itself is good, with lots of repetition that toddlers can join in with as they become familiar with the book. For the person reading aloud you also get to shout loudly at a naughty bear in one part (so this is more of a jolly afternoon read than a quietly going-to-bed book!). Although this is Wolfie's book, it is Dot who is the real heroine and the feature of the story. The illustrations really add to the enjoyment, and this is where Wolfie really has his role as we wonder about his sharp looking teeth, and we see him growing bigger so although he's still wearing a cute pink bunny baby-gro, he is taller than his parents! I particularly liked the picture of Wolfie and Dot in bed together, just after he's arrived, as Wolfie is sleeping peacefully, but the shadow of his profile shows a rather fierce looking wolf, and next to him lies Dot, wide awake, with a camping light strapped on her head to keep an eye on Wolfie!

The story works well reading one to one, but would also go down well for story times in a larger group too with the lovely illustrations to entertain. Grown ups will appreciate the brief notes at the end of the book from the author and illustrator who talk about the origins of the story, as well as the setting of the book's illustrations. An enjoyable read, that stands the re-reading test very well!

Further reading suggestion: For more wolfish delights check out Whiffy Wilson by Caryl Hart and Leonie Lord and Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora at Amazon.com.

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