The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow
by Elaine Dimopoulos; illus. by Doug Salati
Primary, Intermediate    Charlesbridge    208 pp.
5/24    9781623544270    $17.99
e-book ed.  9781632893871    $10.99

The burrow- and tree-dwellers are enjoying a new sense of peace and unity since the events chronicled in The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow (rev. 9/23), and our protagonist, rabbit Butternut, feels secure in her status as the community storyteller. Then a troupe of thespian turkeys rolls into the forest to stage a production, and everyone except Butternut is cast, which sends her into a crisis of confidence and a case of writer’s block. Alongside this, Butternut’s brother reveals her secret fledgling friendship with one of the humans in the nearby house to the rest of the creatures, and Butternut’s status falls even further, leading her to make a false accusation and deceive her loved ones. This early chapter book continues the first installment’s focus on the natural world and precise (“quartz peastone”), vivid (“pugnacious fighters”) vocabulary that is challenging but digestible, thanks to strong foreshadowing, a tight plot, lovable characters, and Salati’s enchanting illustrations. After Butternut’s lies are exposed, she struggles to get her friends and family to listen to her when she discovers a mortal threat to them all. Learning how to both command and cede attention is a challenge to which many children can relate, and Dimopoulos’s blend of anthropomorphism and respect for the natural world makes this a winning example to follow.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.