School Library Journal Review
| PreS-Gr 2-Jasper Rabbit's craving for carrots is insatiable. He raids Crackenhopper Field several times a day, and his manner shows no regard for the vegetables' feelings. He "pulled," "yanked," and "ripped" them out before greedily gorging. Everything changes when he senses that he is being followed. Carrots seem to be "creeping" up on him everywhere he goes. Jasper's eyes play tricks on him (or do they?), as he sees the veggies' menacing reflections in the bathroom mirror, silhouettes on the bedroom wall, shapes on the shelves in the shed. Brown's panels-bordered in black, drawn in pencil, and digitally composed and colored-cleverly combine the mood of film noir with the low-tech look of early children's television staging for an aesthetic that is atmospheric, but not overwhelming. The scenes are rendered in black, white, and gray-except for the carrots and the objects that stand in for them when Jasper does his double takes: these are all orange. Panels in varying sizes and multiple perspectives keep pace with Reynolds's tongue-in-cheek narrative as Jasper solves his problem by building a fortress, complete with an alligator-filled moat, around the offending plants. Little does he know that the carrots are cheering on the other side of the fence at the success of their plan to keep the herbivore out. This age-appropriate horror story takes children's fears seriously and then offers them an escape through genuine comic relief. Contrast this with the equally hilarious moat and bunnies in Candace Fleming's Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! (Atheneum, 2002).-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Playing on the something-is-stalking-me-but-when-I-turn-around-nothing-is-there fears that have fueled countless scary movies, this goose-pimpler introduces a young bunny named Jasper who couldn't get enough carrots . . . until they started following him. Tired of heart-racing, sleepless nights, Jasper concocts a master plan and builds an alligator-filled moat and sky-high fence around Crackenhopper Field to keep those nasty carrots at bay. Turns out, their plan to keep that nasty rabbit from eating their carrot buddies has a similarly happy ending. Brown's charcoally black artwork is highlighted by deep oranges and delivers on the lighthearted thrills of Reynolds' fright-night story.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist |
