Hop - Rilegato

Children who haveseen bunnies frolic in their backyards, scamper across the lawn of a park, orroam in fields in their imaginations will find Hurley's latest charming andinformative in equal measure. Using the formula she established in Nest (2014),Hurley explores the worlds of rabbits—cottontails in particular. In this narrative,the one-word lines read as if they are instructions given by a mother to herkits. Each spread depicts a different scenario, each with its own tone and, ina couple of cases, tension. Matte colors applied digitally saturate the pages,most often in lush greens. As the members of a rabbit family emerge from theirnest under a tree, they "hop," "listen," and"nibble." In a stark white double-page spread, a hawk appears highabove the family on the ground, making the rabbits "freeze." Dangerappears again in the form of a fox. The word on this spread, "warn,"will force youngsters to look closely to see the mother rabbit thumping herfoot. If it's too subtle, an author's note provides more information about thisform of communication along with other details about habits and habitat. Therabbits "run," and the book ends on a satisfying note with a"snuggle" before "sleep." Minimal text yields maximumeffect in this book of nonfiction for the very youngest children (Kirkus Reviews October 15, 2015)

PreS–A mother rabbit leads her young out of a tree hollowto snack and play in a meadow. They avoid predators, hide in a borrowed burrowto wait out the rain, and head back out to graze. All is conveyed simplythrough single-word spreads. Flat, graphic-style illustrations are doneprimarily in greens and browns with splashes of spring colors in the flowers.The art is either full bleed or minimal, employing plenty of white space. Anauthor’s note offers background information about the cottontail. VERDICTA good choice for asking leading questions and initiating discussions aboutanimal behavior.–Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library,Cartersville, GA (School Library Journal November 2015)

Inthis companion to Nest and Fetch, Hurley uses a string of verbs,one per spread, to highlight the actions of a family of cottontail rabbits overthe course of one day. Once again, the ultra-limited text lets Hurley’s crispdigital illustrations do the talking—a morning of playing in (and nibbling on)the grass turns frightening as a hawk appears overhead (“freeze”), quicklyfollowed by a fox (“warn” “run”). The rabbits escape to an underground burrow(“hide”), returning to their tree hollow home safe and sound after waiting outa rainstorm. An author’s note offers enlightening details about the habits ofcottontails. (Publisher's Weekly November 2, 2015)

Hurley’s quiet picture book about a day in the life of a cottontail rabbit family will be sure to delight preschoolers. A perfect companion to the author’s Fetch (2015), this story sheds light on the author’s fascination with animals in their element, going about their day, which is carried out in the appealing, eyecatching illustrations in soft, natural tones. Since only one word is used to emphasize the action in each spread, visual literacy is very much in the foreground, and these light images underscore the animals’ peacefulness. This explores cottontail rabbits—an animal many readers might see hopping in their yards or neighborhoods, if they look carefully—in their natural habitat. The story begins as early as the inner title pages, featuring close-up paintings of the lush, pale green grass to establish setting. On the following page and prior to text, a mother bunny is nicely contrasted against the crisp, white page, greeting readers before she leads her kin to play in the grass, protect themselves, and snuggle! A wonderful “winding-down” book for bedtime. — Annie Miller (Booklist March 3, 2016)

Jorey Hurley studied art history at Princeton, received her law degree at Stanford, and studied design at FIT. She worked as a textile designer for Hable Construction in New York City and is now based in San Francisco, where she lives with her husband and their two small children. Nest, her debut, was called “stunning” in a starred review from School Library Journal. Fetch, her second book, was called a “delight” by Publishers Weekly in a starred review. She is also the author of Every Color Soup. Visit her at JoreyHurley.com.