Originally published in 1949 two years after Goodnight Moon
and out of print for more than 30 years, this melodic companion
narrated by the endearing rabbit child introduces those elements of
his life that he holds most dear. Brown''s minimal text has a
dreamlike, impressionistic quality reminiscent of her earlier book,
yet the narrative adheres to a child''s sense of logic as the bunny
strings together the items and activities that fill his day. He
defines his world in terms of his parents: "Daddy''s boy. Mother''s
boy. My boy is just a toy Bear." In alternating spreads, Hurd
portrays simple, black-and-white images of items or pastimes the
child''s toothbrush hanging on a hook next to his father''s; father
and son fishing together and full-color scenarios recolored by
Clement''s son Thacher spawned by those images the boy brushes his
teeth as one parent soaks in the tub and the other primps in front
of a mirror; the family gathers around the table to dine on freshly
caught fish. The final color spread underscores the volume''s
universality, as well as the little rabbit''s contentment: swinging
from a tree branch as his parents sit nearby on the porch, he
announces: "Your world. My world. I can swing Right over the
world." The volume''s words and pictures stretch the boundaries of
its time-honored predecessor, affirming that there is, indeed, a
warm and welcoming world beyond the great green room. Ages 1-4.