Starred Review ALA Booklist (Tue Feb 28 00:00:00 CST 2023)

Starred Review Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear, three good friends, live in the forest. They go everywhere together, except the long, narrow, winding path. In summer, they prepare for a woodland party. In autumn, they play, tossing fallen leaves into the air. In winter, they ice-skate together. At the top of the long, winding path, Big Bear and Duck stop, but Rabbit (an inexperienced skater) quickly slides downhill and ends up beneath a glorious fir tree. When Big Bear and Duck arrive, Rabbit learns that each of the others has gone there before for solitary reflection. Initially feeling hurt, Rabbit stays beneath the tree and closes her eyes. Listening to the wind and breathing in the piney scent, she realizes that this experience is special. Now the three friends go almost everywhere together. Written with simplicity and subtlety, the text underscores the dual pleasures of being with friends and being alone. The expressive illustrations, created with pencil and acrylic paints, reflect the narrative's tone while adding their own touches, such as the yellow yarn that Duck knits in the summer, which surely becomes the yellow scarf and mittens that Rabbit wears in the winter scenes. A charming picture book portraying the rewards of friendship and solitude.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Tue Jan 03 00:00:00 CST 2023)

A trio of friends are inseparable…mostly.Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear do everything together, from dancing and singing to playing and celebrating. But for all their fun activities, they always avoid the "long, winding path" that snakes off into a darker part of the woods. There's always a reason not to go down the path: It's too narrow for them to walk together; they're too tired; the path is too muddy in the autumn. This tactic works well until one day, while ice skating, Rabbit overshoots her stop and goes skating down the path alone. When she finally stops, she's at the base of a gigantic fir tree. Duck and Big Bear run after her, and some secrets about the tree and its peaceful aura are revealed to both Rabbit and readers. This winning story about the importance of quiet places to reflect on life is enhanced greatly by pencil and acrylic illustrations that capture movement and expression in every stroke. Storytellers looking to introduce concepts of meditation or the need for alone time will make the most of this, but the narrative's humor and heart will appeal to anyone simply looking for an engaging tale. (This book was reviewed digitally.)As sublime as sitting under a magnificent fir tree in quiet contemplation. (Picture book. 4-8)

Horn Book (Tue May 09 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Three besties -- Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear -- are always together, frolicking and having fun in their forest home throughout the seasons. While they are keen to explore, as a group the intrepid trio has never ventured down "the long, winding path." One winter day, however, as Rabbit is learning to ice skate (but not yet how to stop), she finds herself alone and "barreling down the path, not knowing where she is headed." She ends up in front of "the grandest fir tree she has ever seen." Her first thought: "If only my friends were here to see this." Once her worried pals find her, Rabbit excitedly shares her discovery, but it turns out that both Big Bear and Duck know the idyllic spot well. "I come here when I feel like being alone," Big Bear says. Duck likes to visit the tree on still mornings and think. Rabbit is confused and hurt at first ("we do everything together") but comes to understand the need for each of them to feel the tree's restorative magic individually sometimes. Brun-Cosme's spare, straightforward text captures the simple joys of childhood relationships and of growing up. Tallec's pencil and acrylic paintings feature expressive cartoonlike animal characters in lush surroundings. Spot and sequential art add humor and energy to verdant, almost impressionistic landscapes. A smart and subtle glimpse at social-emotional learning and appreciation for the natural world. Luann Toth

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A trio of friends are inseparable…mostly.Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear do everything together, from dancing and singing to playing and celebrating. But for all their fun activities, they always avoid the "long, winding path" that snakes off into a darker part of the woods. There's always a reason not to go down the path: It's too narrow for them to walk together; they're too tired; the path is too muddy in the autumn. This tactic works well until one day, while ice skating, Rabbit overshoots her stop and goes skating down the path alone. When she finally stops, she's at the base of a gigantic fir tree. Duck and Big Bear run after her, and some secrets about the tree and its peaceful aura are revealed to both Rabbit and readers. This winning story about the importance of quiet places to reflect on life is enhanced greatly by pencil and acrylic illustrations that capture movement and expression in every stroke. Storytellers looking to introduce concepts of meditation or the need for alone time will make the most of this, but the narrative's humor and heart will appeal to anyone simply looking for an engaging tale. (This book was reviewed digitally.)As sublime as sitting under a magnificent fir tree in quiet contemplation. (Picture book. 4-8)

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

In a long, leisurely setup to this reflective picture book by previous collaborators Brun-Cosme and Tallec (the Big Wolf and Little Wolf series), affectionate lines establish that Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear are both best friends and constant companions: “They play together, eat together, and chop wood together. They run, hide, and chase each other.” Pencil and acrylic paint spreads show lean Duck, long-eared Rabbit, and wide-eyed Big Bear cavorting happily together through spring, summer, and fall. There’s one place they never go, though: a path that leads deeper into the forest. In the winter, having not yet learned how to stop on ice skates, Rabbit inadvertently travels down the path and finds a forest sanctuary beneath a majestic fir, where she “inhales the rich, earthy scent. She listens to the wind’s smooth sound.” The revelation that Big Bear and Duck have been there before, and regularly visit the glade alone, both surprises Rabbit and leads to a further kind of magic: that of contemplative solitude found and appreciated. Ages 4–8. Agent (for author and illustrator): Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Feb.)

School Library Journal (Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

K-Gr 2 —Deep in the forest, there are three best friends: Rabbit, Duck, and Big Bear. They do everything together throughout the year, from throwing parties, to kicking leaves, to playing in the snow. However, they never go down the long, winding path together because they already have everything they need right where they are. But when Rabbit accidentally loses control and slides down that path, the three animals discover that even the best of friends can enjoy spending time alone, as well. This thoughtful picture book introduces readers to three seemingly inseparable companions, all of whom are approachable and cheerful in their demeanor. The illustrations are the focus of the story; each one covers the majority of the page, frequently depicting the protagonists in moments of action and activity. Young readers will be especially drawn to the images as the story is being read aloud to them thanks to their use of color, texture, and movement. Beside the pictures are blocks of text in small font that are primarily narrative in style, shifting from recounting what a character once said to having that creature speak directly later in the book. This choice gives the story a sense of both past and present as the characters discover truths about themselves and each other. VERDICT This thoughtful picture book is a good choice for investigating the complex balance of friendship and independence.—Mary R. Lanni