Nubby
by Dan Richards; illus. by Shanda McCloskey
Preschool, Primary    Knopf    40 pp.
1/23    9780593381090    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593381113    $10.99

“Nubby was done.” Fed up with a life of being “carried, buried, dropped, dragged, torn, worn,” and so on, a dingy blue stuffed bunny is ready for a new beginning. While the text stays focused on this character’s point of view, the engaging illustrations clearly show what’s really happening as Nubby ventures “out into the great wide world.” The family dog makes off with him and runs down the sidewalk to the neighbors’ yard. There he encounters some actual rabbits (“Friends! Surely he’d be appreciated here!”), but they don’t pay him any attention (“His boy would never treat him like that”). Next, a little girl wearing a magician’s cape and a top hat spots Nubby on the ground; from his perspective, he’s “landed the starring role” in her magic show. But each new adventure is ultimately disappointing (the show’s a flop), and Nubby begins to long for his old life. Both text and pictures are energetic and funny, with McCloskey’s digital, watercolor, and pencil illustrations showing the neighborhood from varied perspectives, including views of Nubby’s family searching the yard for him. A very happy ending has the bunny nestled together with his boy (and pup), each one with a new appreciation for the other.

From the March/April 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.