Genre 1: My Friend Rabbit

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rohmann, Eric. 2002. MY FRIEND RABBIT. I. by Eric Rohman. Brookfield, CT. Roaring Books Press. ISBN 0761315357

SUMMARY
This is a playful story about a mouse's friendship with a rabbit who is always getting into trouble. Rabbit wants to help Mouse play with his new toy plane, but the plane gets stuck in a tree. Rabbit's funny and creative problem solving brings more trouble for the two good friends.

ANALYSIS
Rohman's illustrations in MY FRIEND RABBIT tell the story on their own, with minimal comically understated text. The thick black outlines and stark shadows and light of the relief prints make the creatures expressive and alive. The book moves forward across the simple grassy scene, as readers watch Rabbit's idea take shape. The double page illustrations are engrossing, and make the book seem to race by, as readers watch first the back half of an elephant, and then the whole expressive, resistant beast move across the page under Rabbit's steam.
Personally, I find the animal's facial expressions to be the best part of the book; the fearful surprise of the elephant, the wary reluctance of the rhino, the outraged indignance of the mother duck... all hilarious. And Mouse's journey is rendered starkly and beautifully: his early astonishment and growing impatience is always tempered by loyalty to his friend Rabbit, who is shown hopeful and determined throughout. The vertical tower of animals is creative use of the double page spread, and grabs attention in a funny way. Rohman's expressive illustrations endow each animal with character and humor, and watching the animals, however reluctantly, cooperate to get Mouse's plane down, is a fun and interactive way to bring up themes of sharing, friendship and loyalty.

REVIEWS
"Rohmann tells most of the story through bold, expressive relief prints....This gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will leave young readers clamoring for repeat readings." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"[A] smart, sassy object lesson....The fun of this is in the spacing and sequencing of the heavily ink-outlined drawings....Tremendous physical humor delivers a gentle lesson about accepting friends as they are." BOOKLIST

CONNECTIONS
The book is a good starting point for a discussion about playing with older and stronger kids, and friends who sometimes get into trouble. MY FRIEND RABBIT also deals with issues of sharing and friendship, and Mouse's defense of his friend in the beginning, "My friend Rabbit means well," is a sweet commentary on loyalty between friends. A teacher might offer a story of playing with a friend who is followed by trouble, like Rabbit, and ask students to share stories of this from their experience.