Voyage to the Bunny Planet

This boxed set from the creator of the inimitable Max consists of three beguiling volumes: First Tomato, Moss Pillows and The Island Light. In each, an endearing bunny is having a bad day. Claire knocks over her cereal bowl, gets snow in her shoes on the way to school, must eat detested baloney for lunch and at playtime ... is the only girl not able to do a cartwheel. Robert undergoes similarly unpleasant experiences, while poor Felix, on top of everything else, has parents who both forgot to kiss him good night. Just when it seems that matters can get no worse, each bunny is transported to an extraordinary locale: Far beyond the moon and stars, / Twenty light-years south of Mars, / Spins the gentle Bunny Planet / And the Bunny Queen is Janet. Here the beleaguered bunnies are treated to the day that should have been, and their halcyon activities are described in soothing rhymed couplets. The prolific Wells expands her range with this unique creation, offering beginning bibliotherapy with a deft touch. Her typically winsome pictures illustrate this tranquilizing trio-a security blanket in a neat package. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)