One good turn deserves another is the order of the day in the warm, soothing picture book Bunny Made Tea by author/illustrator Amanda Baehr Fuller.
"Bunny wanted tea," so the white rabbit with tall, expressive ears braves a dreary, rainy day to gather a bundle of purple blooms. A curious opossum wanders into Bunny's homey den just as the first cup leaves the yellow teapot. Bunny shares, and Opossum dunks a thirsty snout into the cup with relish, twitching ears wreathed in steam. Bunny peers into the empty pot in consternation as Opossum exits. "Bunny still wanted tea," but a second steeping brings the return of the mooching marsupial with a back full of big-eyed babies. While three of the babies lounge and play, one curiously follows Bunny, who gathers enough tea ingredients for the entire family. Alas, Bunny goes to bed with no tea and dreams wispy dreams of the tea not drunk. A puffy waft of steam the next morning leads Bunny to a fresh pot of tea, and a certain opossum tot watches from out of sight as the hospitable hero finally quenches the tea craving.
Fuller's short sentences make this cozy debut a great choice for sharing with toddlers, and the illustrations and messaging lend enough complexity to inspire rich discussion with preschoolers. Bunny's endearing long-eared shape and bright yellow eyes recall a hollow chocolate bunny, and the baby opossums' oversized heads and curling bare tails add a high squee factor to the proceedings. Rich mossy greens and botanical textures give a sense of softness and natural abundance to this gentle story. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager, Allen County Public Library