Reader #1. I found the title intriguing, and the art charming – faces and bodies of both Taylor and the animals highly expressive. The choice to omit any background art was an effective way of keeping the focus on the characters. I particularly liked the fact that Taylor could be either a boy or a girl, so any child can identify. And the images of Taylor and the rabbit were sweet and tender. The message of the book was an essential one – sometimes just listening is the best choice – but ultimately the story came off as a little too message-y. Overall, though, I liked it.
Reader #2. I thought it would be a great read-aloud and I loved the illustrations -- the expressions on Taylor's and the animals' faces were wonderful, and I also liked all of the white space which eliminated distractions and allowed the reader to focus on what was actually shown. I thought it was so good that Taylor could be a boy or a girl...the illustration gave no clue or opinion on that. I also liked the parallel between all of the animals' suggestions and what Taylor ultimately told Rabbit, and I loved the fact that Rabbit listened -- a great message for young and old.
Reader #1. I wanted to like this book much more than I did. Katherine Applegate is a terrific writer, and she can be very imaginative. I loved Ivan. This novel had some strong moments and a certain dry, arboreal humor, but it took forever to get started, and once the story was launched, it was too sentimental for my taste, and too predictable. A kid, however, might be much more engaged than I was.
Reader #3. It took way too long to get into the story. I’d doubt that kids would be that patient. If I remember correctly it took nearly 30 pages before any kid came in. I nearly didn’t read further, but suffering from a mother’s admonition to “finish what you start,” plugged on and was sorry that I did. Too pat, too predictable, too preachy.
