Rabbit On the Rampage
Lorna Watson and Rikin Parekh
Walker Books

Like many young humans, Rabbit has a favourite object that accompanies her to lots of different places and like adults, young children get very annoyed when they can’t find that special thing.
Rabbit’s favourite thing is a carrot; this she takes to swimming with her every Sunday but rather than plunge said carrot into the pool, Rabbit deposits it in her coat before entering the water. One Sunday though, shock horror! When she goes to retrieve Carrot it’s not there. A search of the pool and changing room prove carrotless and Rabbit is convinced it’s been stolen.

Following the suggestion of the swim coach, she retraces her steps; first stop Badger’s home where she’d had lunch. In storms Rabbit accusing her friend of Curly Carrot theft. Badger’s response is to remind her he doesn’t like carrots and instead offers one of his garden peas. This infuriates Rabbit and wow does she let Badger know.

Next Rabbit returns to the dance school where she’d had a lesson with Madame Mouse. Once again she makes a dramatic entry and accusation. This is met by the offer of a cauliflower from the dance teacher, which again infuriates Rabbit causing her to hurl the crunchy crucifer out the window.

A further revisit results in an awful outcome,

though now Rabbit is starting to feel just a tad bothered about the way she’s treated her pals. Off home to bed she goes and there garment by garment she removes her outdoor attire …

Time for Rabbit to make amends to her innocent friends …

Hilarious! Lorna Watson’s debut as picture book author is definitely destined to be a big hit with young children. Her rhyming text is brilliantly complemented by Rikin Parekh’s wonderfully dramatic scenes of Rabbit and her outrageous behaviour as she storms around on her search.