Hop, written and illustrated by Jorey Hurley (Nest, Fetch), dramatizes a day in the life of a cottontail rabbit and her three small bunnies as they go about doing what bunnies do—nibbling grass and bright flower tops, playing tag, sleeping and staying on guard, all day, every day.
Part story and part science lesson, the text pulls no punches but depicts the dangers in the life of every rabbit we see leaping across our front yard or standing, frozen, in a meadow. The bunnies have run-ins with a hawk, a bumblebee and a fox. Luckily, they can listen, run and jump, and can burrow deep underground through tunnels to elude their predators. But when a woodchuck burrows into the other end of their den, the bunnies are on the move again. The book includes an informative author’s note about cottontails, which are common across North America.
Hurley’s springtime meadows are lovely and the images of bouncing bunnies will delight, especially when, safe and sound, they snuggle together to sleep and await the next day.
In each highly textured and patterned page, Hurley's previous work as a textile artist shines through. Parents and children alike will respond to the simple language and the clean, modern Danish feel of the illustrations.
Billie B. Little is the Founding Director of Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, a hands-on museum in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
