This Magic Hat Trick Never Gets Old
Today’s review comes courtesy of Debbie Glade.
Hocus Pocus ($15.95, Kids Can Press, ages 3 -7), written by Sylvie Desrosiers and illustrated by Rémy Simard, is a young child’s version of a graphic novel. Told through pictures, it is a story about a rabbit that appears from a magic hat in the house of a man and his dog. The dog and the rabbit engage in a classic feud as the man, wearing headphones, is sound asleep in his easy chair. (The rivalry pleasantly reminds me a little bit of Sylvester and Tweety Bird.) The only words in this book are essentially sound effects, as the story cleverly comes to life one frame at a time. The illustrations are crisp and colorful and pretty darn adorable. What I love about this story is that the youngest readers can really savor the book and take their time to uncover the plot using their own detective work and interpretations. It’s a really cute story, and parents will love it too. There’s sure to be a few audible giggles when you read it together and talk about what’s going on in the pictures. The true magic of this story is that you don’t have to own a dog (or a rabbit) to appreciate the humor.
