"My Friend Rabbit" by Eric Rohmann is the 2003 recipient of the Caldecott Medal. It's a laconic book--the idea being that pictures can tell a story as well as words. The illustrations are wonderful and they would definitely appeal to a young reader.
The book is about friendship, loyalty, patience, teamwork and good-old fashioned mischief.
Because the book is more visual than verbal, I had an odd reaction to it. I didn't dislike it; it was more a feeling of, "where are the words?" However, the visual aspect of the book would capture the imagination of a young reader--and that's really the point, isn't it?
It's a unique book in this way: I can imagine a child "reading" it to himself at night or in a school library, rather than asking to be read to. The idea of a child spending time alone with a book, allowing it to work its magic on him are the very seeds of literacy--and who can argue with that?
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