View source for What Small Rabbit Heard by Sheryl Webster and Tim Warnes

{{infobox2
|title=What Small Rabbit Heard
|author=Sheryl Webster and Tim Warnes
|reviewer=Keith Dudhnath
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A fun tale of a cheeky rabbit going on a walk, and intentionally mishearing the instructions from Big Rabbit. Kids will love the joke and lap up the gentle naughtiness. Recommended.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-0192728678
|pages=32
|publisher=OUP Oxford
|date=March 2010
|aznuk=0192728679
|aznus=0192728679
|cover=0192728679
}}

It's cold and windy. Small Rabbit just wants to stay inside, but Big Rabbit insists that it's fresh, not cold, and they're going on a walk. He's a bit of a cheeky scamp is Small Rabbit, so when Big Rabbit says ''try to keep up'', Small Rabbit somehow mishears it as ''jump in the mud''. As the walk goes on, Small Rabbit mishears Big Rabbit time and time again, getting up to all sorts of shenanigans.

I really enjoyed ''What Small Rabbit Heard''. It takes the simple joke of a slightly naughty rabbit intentionally mishearing what is said, and runs with it. Naughtiness is always good in picture books - kids love the cheeky glint in the eye, adults can pretend to roll their eyes whilst secretly smiling to themselves. Everyone's in on the joke, and it's great fun. It's also great to get kids started young with wordplay. They won't be too young to know that ''Stay with me please'' sounds a bit like ''roll in the leaves''. The more children play with language, and see language being played with, the more they'll love language, love books, love their brains buzzing in all sorts of directions. I've heard it said that children don't really get jokes until they're about 7. Rubbish. Surround 'em with appropriate wordplay, and they'll lap it up.

Tim Warnes' illustrations are upbeat and jolly. Big and Small Rabbit are sweet characters, and their walk looks like a fun adventure. There's plenty happening on every page to support the energy of the story, but there's an underlying gentleness and heart to the pictures.

Funny story, nice illustrations, high quality, and it'll strike a chord with its young audience. Well worth checking out.

My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.

[[On My Walk by Kari-Lynn Winters and Christina Leist]] is another enjoyable tale of a walk. [[Not Me! by Nicola Killen]] has a similar cheeky glint to ''What Small Rabbit Heard''. And, ok, it's a hare, not a rabbit, but we loved [[Tortoise vs. Hare - The Rematch! by Preston Rutt and Ben Redlich]].  You might also appreciate [[Tinysaurus by Sheryl Webster and Jan Fearnley]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0192728679}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=0192728679}}

{{commenthead}}

[[Category:Sheryl Webster]]
[[Category:Tim Warnes]]