School Library Journal Starred Review (Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

PreS-Gr 1 This budding champion (a white snow bunny) loves to ice skate so much that she patiently waits for perfect conditions. When the other bunnies are doing summer things, she is planning what she will do when the snow falls. She proceeds to wait through the fall as she dresses her scarecrow with a pair of skates. Then when the snow arrives and the conditions seem right, she heads for the ice with her family as her support team. She boasts about all the maneuvers she hasn't quite perfected yet, all while proclaiming her champion status. After a rigorous workout of not-so-perfect figure eights and leaps, she rewards herself with apr&2;s skate indulgences, including hot chocolate, toasted marshmallows, and a warm bath. After her busy day, this little bunny goes to bed, ready to try again tomorrow. Wright has created a charming and determined character. The youngster's fortitude and enthusiasm are admirable even if she isn't as accomplished as she makes out to be. The dark-outlined illustrations are painted in soft hues. This sweet story about a bunny who is determined to follow her dream is a great addition.— Diane Antezzo, Ridgefield Library, CT

ALA Booklist (Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

In a family of ice-skating bunnies, there is one "champion" (at least in her own mind) little girl bunny, dressed entirely in pink. She tells us, "when you're a champion ice-skater, you have to wait for the conditions to be just right," and so wait she does, through each season. In spring, while the parental bunnies tend their garden, our girl draws skating diagrams; in summer, while the others swim, bunny plays with what appears to be an ice-skating bunny action figure; in fall, the family harvests while our girl puts skates on a scarecrow. Soon it's winter, and you know what snow and dropping temperatures mean: it's time. Wright (The Secret Circus, 2009) touches on well-traversed picture-book themes here, including confidence, patience, and single-minded obsession. Her signature naïf, acrylic-on-canvas artwork is the star of the show; warm and inviting, it depicts the bunny family's cozy tree dwelling and a myriad of wonderful details (a snowman with bunny ears!). Nice for wintertime sharing over a cup of cocoa.

Kirkus Reviews

Bursting with confidence, a young skater describes what it takes to be a champion (at least in her own mind) in this wobbly but amusing manifesto. First, of course, there's the waiting for spring, summer and fall to pass. Once the pond freezes, it's time to whirl, twirl, spin (and take a few falls, but never mind) before an admiring crowd of birds and family members. Afterward, champions will also need hot chocolate, a hot bath and, at bedtime, warm blankets to snuggle beneath. Hurried along by a narrative that often runs to just a line or a few words per spread, the illustrations portray a rabbit family tending a garden, paddling lazily in the pond or gathering in a cozy tree-trunk home through the seasons. They then watch anxiously from the snowy sideline as their "champion" resolutely weaves, glides and crashes on the ice. Along with leaving her brushwork visible on heavily textured canvas, Wright uses a palette of harmonious pinks and browns to imbue each scene with an air of comfy domesticity. The rabbits, however, all look so alike that it's often hard to pick out the narrator, and though the narrator is addressing readers or listeners, neither she nor anyone else ever looks up from their activities to make eye contact. A healthy if impersonal dose of self-affirmation delivered by a cast with long, fetching bunny ears. (Picture book. 5-7)