Buns Gone Bad (Fluffle Bunnies #1)

According to the narrator—a tough, unnamed moth who speaks with noir-like flair and sports a private detective feeling chapeau—bunny siblings Biggie, Boingy, and Flop “have moved onto bigger, better things” from the hole in the park where they were born. Once the trio was weaned, Mama Fluffle left to become a jujitsu master in Brazil, prompting evil mastermind Flop, cuddle-bun Biggie, and playful, voraciously hungry Boingy to venture out of their burrow alone. As they forage for themselves, the fluffle encounter opportunistic chipmunks, bee stings, and “mean and nasty” dogs. To survive, the rabbits must learn how to navigate the scariest parts of the park, which the narrator describes in titillating detail as the siblings meet a pair of raccoons willing to help—for a price. Dialogue by Humphrey (the Bee and Flea series) swiftly establishes each protagonist’s personality and the stakes of their new situation, while b&w illustrations by Kniivila (Everyday Hero Machine Boy) highlight fluid movement and expressive faces by maintaining close views of the characters and their emotions, even as the bunnies’ world grows ever larger. Together, the creators evoke the Bad Guys in this graphic novel series launch, a clever and compact origin story. Ages 6–9. (May)