Around the world, religions and folk cultures have long linked the rabbit with the moon—an anthropological tidbit that has inspired Côté's (What Elephant?
) latest, according to an author's note. Little Monday is a foundling bunny, named for the day of his discovery. While Côté assures readers that "Little Monday and his new friends loved to play games and explore the forest," he yearns to find his mother. After an extensive search exhausts all the possible candidates (including, to his vast relief, the skunk), he hears his name being called from the sky one night, and his mother is revealed to be a magical figure who lives in the moon. "I may not be always nearby, Little Monday," says the moon rabbit, "but I watch over you and light your way in the forest… I'm always with you." Fans of Are You My Mother?
may find this a bit melancholy, but Cote's illustrations are lyrical and expressive. Working with a limited palette, she evokes the cozy greenness of the forest and the icy blue glow of moonlight. And with just a few deft, scratchy lines, she conveys Little Monday's vulnerability, curiosity and joy. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)
