It’s my stop on the blog tour for Rita’s Rabbit by Laura Mucha and Hannah Peck. This witty picture book reminds me of two of my favourite sayings: Don’t judge by appearances and be careful what you wish for…
Rita has one wish: she really, really, really wants a pet rabbit. Who could blame her? Who wouldn’t want a squidgy, splendid, soft rabbit?
So, when Grandpa reveals that her birthday present is not a fluffy rabbit, but is in fact a scaly, speckled, spiky bearded dragon called Spike, Rita is not happy. In fact, Rita, is rude and poor Grandpa doesn’t get an apology!
My daughter loved Laura’s alliterative descriptions. After the initial tantrum, Rita moves on to ignoring poor innocent Spike. She tries to return him but the shop is shut and the neighbours are far too busy looking after their 4,290 pet rabbits to adopt him. Rita gets more and more disgruntled, and my daughter and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for poor Spike, who is trying his best – he is even wearing bunny ears!
But then, Rita’s luck looks to be changing when a rabbit turns up unexpectedly. And suddenly it’s Spike that is looking unimpressed! But will the rabbit turn out to be all Rita dreamed of?
Rita’s Rabbit is lots of fun and the illustrations are a pure delight! I think many of us will have experienced or witnessed a “Rita moment”, the disappointment of not getting the present you hoped for. Through a series of hilarious events, Rita learns that you can’t judge by appearances and we should appreciate what we have. We loved Hannah’s illustrations in Vampire Peter and again, they shine in Rita’s Rabbit. Spike might be scaly and scrawny, but he is also adorable. My daughter has now asked if she can have a bearded dragon for her birthday – wish me luck!
Published by Faber & Faber, 6 May 2021
Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour!
I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary review contains my honest opinion.
Picture Book Perfect 
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