posted on 03 Nov 2023

Yippee Rabbit and Uh-oh Rabbit by Jo Ham

Writing books for babies and very young children that can also be enjoyed by their parents is something I have written about elsewhere on this site (follow  this link).These will usually be the first books ever experienced by the child, which places a huge responsibility on the author to get it right. They may look simple on the surface but every image and pattern of text will have been carefully thought through for maximum effect.

This pair of books are very similar in format and I would imagine that even young babies would quickly focus on the strong stylised silhouette picture of a rabbit on the cover using a limited palette of three colours. Capturing the attention of a small human who is being constantly bombarded with puzzling multi sensory experiences is the first challenge. The front end papers are very busy showing a range of activities by the rabbit and could be a good introduction to the concept of moving eyes from left to right.

Yippee Rabbit

The text is minimal and mimics the way in which babies first use language in a telegraphic way to convey meaning. So we can slowly follow Rabbit as he walks up a hill with the words ‘Rabbit go’ and anticipate what is going to happen. On the turn of the page we see him flying his kite exclaiming ‘Yippee!’, a word that has presumably been practised from reading the book title. Every story needs at least one complication to keep the reader interested so we next see him and his kite tangled in a tree : 'Rabbit stop’. What might happen next?

We will just have to guess because the turn of the page shows him on a swing watched by a bigger rabbit who is digging up carrots from the garden.

The action continues with what to an adult’s eye might look like an alarming incident as he flies through the air off the swing! But all turns out well with the now familiar words ‘Rabbit stop’. And so he continues his precarious adventures until the last page where is seems to be flying into the unknown wearing a superhero cape. Hopefully the bigger rabbit is watching from afar …

Uh-oh Rabbit

In this companion story, the background colour is yellow rather than blue and the repetitive vocabulary that complements the bold illustrations is: ‘Rabbit up’, ‘Uh-oh’ and ‘Rabbit down’. Once again we follow him enjoying the pleasures of a see saw, jumping into a swimming pool, skiing and travelling headfirst down a slide. At all times we can see that the bigger rabbit is there to help him out if needed.

Despite the simplicity, there is a lot going on in both Rabbit stories which is necessary as children love repeated readings of favourite books! The illustrations cleverly convey a character who is brave, outgoing and adventurous but the inclusion of the bigger rabbit provides necessary reassurance. I look forward to sharing with young children to see how they respond.

Available now from Walker Books, you will be able to get copies from your local independent bookshop who will be happy to order for you if not available on their shelves.

 

Karen Argent

November 2023