Taking Care of Mama Rabbit

by Anita Lobel, Anita Lobel (Illustrator)

Overview

From Caldecott Honor–winning author and illustrator Anita Lobel comes a sweet story about young rabbits taking care of their Mama Rabbit. This beloved classic picture book has been enlarged and refreshed for an immersive reading experience!

Oh no, Mama Rabbit is sick in bed! Papa Rabbit has gone to get medicine, but her ten little rabbits want to help make her feel better. One by one, they each find their own way to cheer her up. Sometimes, love is the best medicine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534470644
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	01/19/2021
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	1,083,238
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anita Lobel’s name is synonymous with the best in children’s literature. She is the creator of such classics as Alison’s Zinnia and Away from Home, and she received a Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in On Market Street. She is the creator of three books featuring her cat, Nini: One Lighthouse, One Moon (a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book); Nini Lost and Found; and Nini Here and There. She also wrote Ducks on the Road, which The Horn Book called “cozy.” Her childhood memoir, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Anita Lobel lives in New York City.

Anita Lobel’s name is synonymous with the best in children’s literature. She is the creator of such classics as Alison’s Zinnia and Away from Home, and she received a Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in On Market Street. She is the creator of three books featuring her cat, Nini: One Lighthouse, One Moon (a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book); Nini Lost and Found; and Nini Here and There. She also wrote Ducks on the Road, which The Horn Book called “cozy.” Her childhood memoir, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Anita Lobel lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

11/18/2013
The clan from 10 Hungry Rabbits: Counting and Color Concepts returns in this sweet story about how the young ones cheer up their sick mother. The concepts run deeper in this follow-up, as readers get an affecting look at sibling compassion and cooperation, family cohesiveness, and parent-child love. Since Papa has gone out to fetch medicine for his wife, one rabbit decides, “We have to cheer up Mama,” and the others agree. In stacked images on each page, Lobel’s richly patterned, folkloric gouache and watercolor art reveals where each rabbit finds his or her gift for the bedridden mother (a cup of hot chocolate from the kitchen, a flower from a vase, a necklace from a jewelry box) and then shows an increasingly healthy-looking Mama welcoming each therapeutic offering. The pared-down text plays a secondary role to the pictures, which feature some sly flourishes: the “good book” one bunny brings to Mama is a copy of 10 Hungry Rabbits, and the bunnies’ final present for their mother is a show in which each rabbit pops out of a magician’s top hat. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly, November 18, 2013:
"Readers get an affecting look at sibling compassion and cooperation, family cohesiveness, and parent-child love...In stacked images on each page, Lobel’s richly patterned, folkloric gouache and watercolor art reveals where each rabbit finds his or her gift for the bedridden mother."

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2013:
"The conceit of a role reversal that finds children caring for a parent feels fresh, and Lobel’s soft style and Easter-egg palette of gouache and watercolors create a gentle and inviting lapine world...A sweet little family tale."

The Horn Book, January/February 2014:
"Vibrant colors in a typically lush palette send a reassuring message of cheer and optimism, and the small trim size is just right for the intimate story."

Booklist, January 1, 2014:
"In the charming acrylic-and-watercolor artwork, the helpers are intent on their tasks...The text is short and the illustrations are long on color, lively patterns, and interesting details."

Bulletin of the Center for Chidlren's Books, February 2014:
"Lobel’s vibrantly hued gouache and watercolor illustrations are warm and cozy...Fans of Lobel’s 10 Hungry Rabbits may particularly enjoy this new bunny outing."

From the Publisher

02/01/2014
PreS-Gr 1—The family from Lobel's 10 Hungry Rabbits (Knopf, 2012) is back. When Mama gets sick, her little bunnies go out of their way to cheer her up while they wait for Papa to come home with the medicine. They bring her a fresh handkerchief, hot chocolate, a bright picture, a toy, a book (which just happens to be 10 Hungry Rabbits), and oodles of other odds and ends until their caring makes their mother feel better. Illustrated in Lobel's characteristic folk-art style, the mix of vignettes and spreads bursts with lively colors. Though small in size and length, this sweet and funny story does not lack for cozy charm and would be a wonderful book for little ones to share when comforting their own indisposed mamas (or papas).—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

School Library Journal

2013-11-20
Who can make Mama Rabbit feel better? Mama Rabbit's 10 little ones are worried when she feels too poorly to get out of bed. She assures them that their Papa has gone to fetch medicine, but these caring bunnies don't wait idly by for their father's return; instead, in a narrative that feels akin to DuBose Heyward and Marjorie Flack's Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes (1939), each little kit offers Mama a gift to help her recover as she rests. By the time Papa comes back with the medicine, Mama doesn't need it, since her children's efforts have worked to make her feel better. Then the 10 little rabbits put on a show for their parents, complete with top hats and carrots. While the story is a bit slim, the conceit of a role reversal that finds children caring for a parent feels fresh, and Lobel's soft style and Easter-egg palette of gouache and watercolors create a gentle and inviting lapine world. As always with Lobel, the treats are in the details. One by one, each little bunny finds something to comfort Mama with (a handkerchief, an apple) in a medallion at the top of the page and below bestows it, in a larger, rectangular illustration. Sharp-eyed children will notice that the bags under Mama's eyes smooth out and she sits up straighter with each gift. A sweet little family tale. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews