Rescue Bunnies
PreS-Gr 2&ndash;In her field-test trial, Newbie joins the rest of her big-booted rescue team in trying to extract a young giraffe from a pool of muck on a savanna. Nothing works. Complicating the rescue and threatening a "Code Red" (abandon rescue and victim) is an incoming band of evil-looking hyenas. When Newbie realizes that the giraffe she is comforting will be at the mercy of the ravening pack, she ties herself onto its neck and the other team members use the rhythm of the "bunny hop" to pull the leggy creature free. The plot meanders lazily and illogically from a behind-the-scenes look at Newbie's training, to the bumbling rescue attempts, to a somewhat longish section of indecision while the hyenas gallop in as the bunnies burble and chat. Scattered throughout the text, apropos of nothing, are quotes from movies that will mostly soar over the heads of young listeners. The full-color art uses minimalist backgrounds and simple shapes to focus readers' eyes on the action. Libraries looking for books on community helpers or rescue teams may enjoy seeing these bunnies in action, but this effort is additional at best.Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI&copy; Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.