Audrey Bunny

A stuffed bunny languishing in a toyshop has what she thinks is a terrible flaw: “a smudge right over her heart” that makes her “a messed up, not-so-perfect bunny.” Adopted at long last by a girl named Caroline, the newly christened Audrey Bunny tries to conceal the shameful spot, only to learn at Caroline’s classroom show-and-tell that the girl believes “the spot over your heart made you beautiful to me.” Smith (Mended) spells out every iota of the emotional narrative, and her formal, prim writing (Caroline calls her parent “Mother,” and her eyes “glisten” at the key moment) may have readers yearning for a narrator who is “not-so-perfect” herself. Brookshire’s (The Boy and the Rose) pretty watercolors aren’t brimming with personality, but she’s a solid visual storyteller, and Audrey Bunny’s poignancy should resonate with readers’ better selves. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)