Bunny and Clyde
by Megan McDonald; illus. by Scott Nash
Primary    Candlewick    128 pp.
3/24    9781536228731    $16.99
e-book ed.  9781536237429    $16.99

Best friends Bunny and Clyde learn that it can be hard to be bad in this early chapter book. The rabbit and chipmunk duo are tired of being good and decide to put their energy into being bad, but each of their misdeeds ends up aiding the intended victim in comically unintentional ways. In one instance, Bunny and Clyde toilet paper a neighbor’s rose bushes, which, it turns out, protects the flowers from an unexpected frost. Never ones to give up, the two move on to more and more daring attempts at villainy, all of which lead to disappointment. McDonald’s short chapters, simple sentences, and snappy dialogue are perfect for newly emerging readers looking to take their first steps beyond early readers. Nash’s frequent full- and partial-page black-and-white illustrations (final art not seen) provide lots of breaks in the text and ably capture the hijinks of these two fundamentally goodhearted critters. Bunny and Clyde can’t help but fail to live up to their infamous namesakes.

From the May/June 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.