cover image Bunbun the Middle One

Bunbun the Middle One

Sharon Pierce McCullough. Barefoot Books, $14.99 (24pp) ISBN 978-1-84148-325-2

Even though he is centrally located between big brother Benny and little sister Bibi, Bunbun is a nonconformist rabbit in this paper-over-board book. ""Bunbun sings the loudest."" He raises his arms and opens his mouth wide. ""Bunbun gets the dirtiest."" He tops a sand castle with a green flag, heedless of the splotches on his red outfit. Of the siblings, only Bunbun has a sidekick, a yellow-winged blackbird that always looks in his direction. McCullough's three rabbit characters resemble sock puppets, with their slender ears, tall bodies and elongated limbs. Their head-to-toe jumpsuits appear to have been shaded with waxy colored pencil, and they stand against opaque backgrounds in Easter-egg hues of purple and gold. Simple statements complement the minimalist drawings, and a steady refrain (""Bunbun is the middle one"") grounds the pared-down description for beginning readers. McCullough briefly plays on the word ""middle,"" writing that ""Bunbun is the muddled one"" who sometimes ""wears his coat inside out"" by accident. In these pages, Bunbun frowns and appears uncharacteristically gloomy. This departure doesn't fit the established narrative pattern or the generally cheerful tone of the pictures, but otherwise this book focuses proudly on an ofttimes contradictory middle child. Ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. (Mar.)