Rabbit’s Feat
by Barney Saltzberg; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Hippo Park/Astra    40 pp.
6/25    9781662640803    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781662640810    $11.99

“Every spring, Rabbit heard Boulder and Cactus having the same conversation.” Boulder, perched near the edge of a small cliff, longs to see Cactus’s nighttime-blooming flowers up close. “Today will be the day…I’m coming over there!” Cactus is down below, a stone’s throw from the bottom of the cliff. (Despite being depicted realistically without any facial features, both Boulder and Cactus can speak and see, adding to the humor.) Rabbit and a butterfly friend have nonspeaking roles (and go unnoticed by the two other characters), but they are instrumental in helping Boulder realize the dream—something young listeners will easily pick up on in Saltzberg’s appealingly textured digital illustrations. Throughout the day, Rabbit makes attempts to move the immovable as Boulder and Cactus converse optimistically. Finally, under a full moon and with the flowers on the verge of blooming, eight rabbits stand at one end of a homemade lever, not quite able to roll Boulder over the edge. Saltzberg slows things down: over three panels and one double-page spread, the butterfly flits over to the stack of rabbits, softly alighting on Rabbit’s ear. “Sometimes, thought Rabbit…with…a little…help…and a little kindness…” and with the addition of one butterfly: “BOOM!” Boulder sticks the landing, and Saltzberg does too.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.