Hocus Pocus

The cartoony style of this wordless comic about a magician's hungry rabbit and loyal dog has a familiar, Saturday-morning feeling to it. The rabbit wants to snack on the tempting fresh carrots that the magician has just brought home from the grocery store%E2%80%94understandable, given that the bunny has just finished up a shift in the magician's hat. However, the magician's earnest pooch wants to keep the errant rabbit in its place. The dog pursues and the rabbit outwits in a series of capers, drawn by Simard in a blocky, color-outside-of-the-lines style that is at once clean and energetic. The reversals of fortune are still satisfying and will delight kids, who are often sensitively attuned to matters of fairness and identify with the little guy in stories. Without words, the book may be zipped through, but younger readers with burgeoning observation and comprehension skills can be encouraged to give art as much consideration as letters and will enjoy testing them. Ages 3%E2%80%937. (July)