School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

PreS When a bunny is sad that winter is over and spring has arrived, his father promises him wonderful adventures. Read or sung to the tune of "Hush, Little Baby," the rhyme scans perfectly and becomes a fresh, new song of spring. "Hush, little bunny, don't you cry,/Papa's gonna give you the big blue sky./ And if that big blue sky clouds over,/Papa's gonna give you a patch of clover." The illustrations, using mixed media on watercolor paper, are charming and reveal the love and camaraderie between father and child. Some of the vignettes are framed while other pictures flow to the page margins or simply fade to white around the edges. This sweet slice-of-life story shows the exuberance of a youngster discovering the wildflowers, blooming trees, and fireflies of spring while Papa watches protectively. One humorous illustration depicts the two hidden by tall grasses with only their long ears visible to readers. VERDICT Add this delightful tale to The Runaway Bunny and Guess How Much I Love You for a charming storytime or lapsit sharing. Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI

ALA Booklist (Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Caldecott Honor Book creator Stein introduces a sweet variation on the Appalachian lullaby "Hush, Little Baby." This time, Papa is a bunny advising his little one after winter's end. He assuages little bunny's fears when he offers him a patch of clover ("And when that clover is done, I'll give you a meadow where you can run"). They snuggle, hiding in an underground nest from a gliding hawk, before hopping back into the light. Children and adults will be inspired to create more variants on the classic words. Cameo illustrations and single- and double-page spreads using mixed media on watercolor paper show brown bunnies enjoying nature's bounty: flowering trees, grassy hills, turtle ponds, and singing birds in gentle pastels. The long-eared Papa and his bunny have a close relationship: their expressions exhibit the love for any species of father and child. It's a fun romp. Share and sing this version along with the original lullaby as the children delight in finding the differences. Pair with Margaret Wise Brown's classic The Runaway Bunny.

Kirkus Reviews

Spend the day with a little bunny and their papa as they explore the world around them to the familiar tune of "Hush, Little Baby.""Hush, little bunny, don't you cry. // Papa's gonna give you the big blue sky. / And if that big blue sky clouds over, // Papa's gonna give you a patch of clover." The winter snow has melted, and Papa is ready to take his little bunny out into the beautiful spring world. From tasty patches of clover to nibble to scary hawks to hide from, Papa teaches little bunny everything they need to know about being a bunny in the meadow. More importantly, he shows that he will always be there for the little bunny. Charming illustrations bring the bunny duo to life and will certainly catch children's eyes right off the bat. Done in Stein's characteristically loose and scratchy style, the bunnies frolic and gambol with abandon. Despite the reference to danger in the form of the hawks, the illustration depicts them wheeling in the sky in the distance; when the bunnies take shelter, they are cozily nestled in a burrow with no predator in sight. Caregivers will be sure to relate to the loving papa bunny, while children will enjoy singing along to the lullaby.While this hardly reinvents the wheel, it is a solid addition to the children's lullaby-book genre. (Picture book. 3-5)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This version of -Hush Little Baby- moves out of the bedroom rocking chair and into the big, wide world in early spring as a father bunny coaxes his little one (-Come, little bunny, don-t be shy-) into the fast-melting snow. There-s new clover to eat and trees in bloom, and when trouble appears-a hawk circling overhead, an encounter with another little bunny who-s a biter-Papa always knows what to do. In the former case, he hustles his baby to -a nest safe underground-; in the latter, he strikes an intimidating pose while his bunny snuggles between his feet. Loose mixed-media illustrations by Stein (Interrupting Chicken) capture all the wonder and energy of spring: pages glow with striations of sunlight, and landscape features take shape in fluid, kinetic lines. In one spread, the two sit quietly by a pond listening to a blackbird-s song. In another (-And when the sun is sinking fast/ we-ll tunnel softly through the grass-), only the insides of the bunnies- orange-tinted ears, pointed straight up, are visible as dandelion seeds dance overhead. Ages 4-8. Agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Jan.)