The Very Big Carrot by Satoe Tone

I was intrigued by the illustrations in this little book, but I will admit the first time I read it I wasn't impressed by the plot, or lack thereof. However, the more I read it, the more I liked it.

I thought it was going to be a retelling of the folktale (sometimes it's a giant radish, sometimes a giant carrot - you know the one where they keep adding people to try to pull it out of the ground?) but it's a completely unique story. Six rabbits happen upon a giant carrot, a swirl of orange in the midst of a field of tiny orange carrots, surrounded by patterned leaves. The adorable shovel-bearing bunnies unearth the carrot and set off home, trying to think of a way to use it. Boat? Airplane? Could they make it into a sky garden or a house? All that thinking makes them hungry and they come up with the perfect use for such a very big carrot...dinner!

This is an elegant little book and the big draw for me were the imaginative, dreamy pictures. The little details on the rabbits add a note of humor. I loved the intricate background patterns and the lacy detail work on the carrot top.

Verdict: You could use this to spark some imagination play or just to enjoy the lovely art. It's too small to really work well in storytime, but as a one-on-one read-aloud I would recommend it.

ISBN: 9780802854261; Published July 2013 by Eerdmans; Review copy provided by the publisher; Added to the library's tentative order list