Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar is your kid’s classic book

Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar meets and exceeds all of the requirements that we have for a great good-night book. This is the kind of good-night book that parents can read more than once (because it’s not too long), has a variety of colors on the background, different sized text and artwork that makes young readers and parents smile. Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar feels like a classic book. The book doesn’t crib ideas from earlier sources, it’s entirely original, but after reading it you can feel its old soul.

What’s even more impressive is that its old soul endears itself to parent because of the presentation and artwork, without alienating the intended audience. “I want the bunny book please”, our six year old said. Well, he did want it because after we read the book he quickly put the book in his room, instead of our office so we could review it.

The art in the book is loved. It looks like a combination of watercolors and pencils, leaving some white spaces in objects, while others have that distinct back-and-forth look that only pencils can create. There are lots of details in the art, from the list of books that Ralfy wants to read, the toys in the background and many more. This book captures the curiosity, chaos and fun that an active 8 year old reader has and the environment that they live in.

Ralfy is a rabbit, living an anthropomorphic life with other bunnies, but instead of dreaming about acres of carrot fields, he dreams about books. He reads all the time and eventually his affinity for books leads him down the rabbit hole of theft. However, Ralfy is a sloppy thief and leaves soggy lettuce leaves and half-eaten carrots near the books on Arthur’s shelf.

It’s only when Ralfy takes Arthur’s favorite book, The Biggest Book of Monsters Ever that he notices. Arthur makes it a point to catch whatever is making the mess-and taking his books! In Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar the thrill is more than the chase and this is a great book from start to finish.

Some children’s books grab you in from the cover art or title and that’s exactly what this does. Wanted! by Emily Mackenzie is one that will remain in our collection for years and eventually be read to great-Mojos in twenty or thirty years. Granted we’ll box it up so it doesn’t clutter up the room as their books get thicker.