Bunns Rabbit

In this dramatic illustrated fable by Barillaro (Where the Water Takes Us), a young rabbit singled out for being different finds notoriety for her bravery following an arduous, mysterious journey. When baby bunny Bunns is born with “two curiously short ears,” whispered and thumped disapproval (“It’s a bad omen”) throughout the warren leads the rabbit elders to banish Bunns’s family from the meadow. Determined to change this fate and armed only with her gift for understanding what’s inside another creature’s heart—their heartsong—Bunns follows a riddle-spouting monarch butterfly into the dangerous Great Forest in search of the Spirit Fox, who can grant wishes. Along the way, Bunns encounters a tiny hummingbird and a gruff loon, each with stories of their own to share about the mythical spirit. Together, the trio of traveling companions navigate danger at nearly every turn. Barillaro skillfully weaves immediate prose and realistic illustrations to depict Bunns’s grand voyage via renderings of nighttime and underground shadows, gauzy sky and snowfall, fantastical shape-shifting forms, animals and countryside, and comics-style panels, each element distinguished by hues ranging from poppy to sepia. Ages 8–12. Agent: Janine Kamouh, WME. (Oct.)