Ten Little Rabbits

Originally created as a miniature pamphlet for a museum fundraiser, this previously unpublished treasure from the late Sendak recalls the creator’s Nutshell Library in its gentle-hued simplicity. A counting book format follows a magic act gone pear-shaped as a young magician, drawn in a familiarly Sendakian pen-and-ink style, is kitted out in a child-size evening jacket, bow tie, and top hat. Alone on the verso, the figure takes a bow before flourishing a wand with easy grace and summoning a rabbit from the hat: “1,” the spread’s text reads. Producing more rabbits in various hues, the magician sports a confident grin, balancing the bunnies on his head and arms while standing on one leg. Soon, though, the rabbits grow unwieldy, and the magician’s face registers frustration, then becomes buried as a 10th rabbit appears. “So then—” reads a line of the book’s minimal text, “he made them vanish again!” and the series reverses, just as delightfully. The action runs full circle from mirth to mayhem and back, and droll, controlled sketches order the chaos, highlighting each new development, beat by beat, en route to a satisfying “all done.” The magician’s skin reflects the white of the page. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)