The Island Light (Voyage To The Bunny Planet)

The Island Light (Voyage to the Bunny Planet)

Embarrassed after getting sick in front of his whole class, Felix decides that it is time for some peace and quiet on the Bunny Planet.From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2-- An unusual and charming set of books. In each, the protagonist is having a terrible day. First Tomato is about Claire, whose shoes fill up with snow on the way to school; in The Island Light , Felix throws up in art class; and Robert, in The Moss Pillow , visits some awful relatives who serve cold liver chili for dinner. Halfway through each book, Janet, the queen of the Bunny Planet, summons the rabbit child, saying, `` `Here's the day that should have been.' '' Claire's voyage to the Bunny Planet takes the form of a visit to the garden to pick the first tomato. Felix's ideal day is spent on an island, in a lighthouse with his father; Robert's is in a quiet forest. In each case, the Bunny Planet is a soothing, secure world where peace and individuality reign. Each book ends with a return to an improved reality, with the hero or heroine spotting the Bunny Planet from the real world. The illustrations are beautifully executed and perfectly scaled. Wells makes great use of contrast in mood and light, which is perfectly suited to the theme. The writing is somewhat less successful. The stories are told in rhyme, which tends towards the sing-song, and some of the musings on ``the day that should have been'' may appeal more to adults than to children. Still, they make a plea for catharsis via fantasy and daydeaming, something that cannot be overemphasized to today's overprogrammed children and parents. --Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, ILCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.