Disney has declared February 6th Disney Reads Day. If you visit your local Disney Store, Disney will donate one book for every book purchased to First Book, a nonprofit organization that puts books in the hands of kids who can’t afford them. As part of the event, Disney Press is releasing a brand new book called That’s Not Bunny!
The book follows the exploits of Hawk, who is trying to catch Bunny for his next meal. However, the rascally rabbit always has a large vegetable in hand to trick Hawk, who gets angrier and angrier as he arrives at his nest without Bunny in claw. By the end of the book, he has a full salad in his nest.
Chris Barton’s story will make kids laugh as Hawk gets angrier and angrier at his misfortune. Bunny feels inspired by Bugs Bunny, constantly able to outwit his predator. Kids might also understands Hawk’s frustration if they are resistant to vegetables (I agree, dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets taste much better). The illustrations by Colin Jack are fun and after learning that he is an artist at DreamWorks Animation, the character designs do feel in line with the studio’s other works.
As a kid, I might have enjoyed That’s Not Bunny!, but as an adult the whole story feels morbid. Thankfully Hawk doesn’t feast on Bunny, but kids will surely ask why Hawk wants to eat Bunny in the first place. You can’t root for Hawk, but Bunny isn’t the hero either so the whole things feels a little pointless. And since Hawk hates vegetables, it can’t even be used as an anecdote to encourage healthy habits.