Rabbit Pie by Penny Ives is a sweet bedtime picture book. The text reads like a recipe for rabbit pie:  “Find six small rabbits, if you can!  Take off any dirty bits and place in warm soapy water.”  But it really is the story of a bedtime routine for a jolly family of rabbits wrangled capably by a kind mother rabbit.  The joy of the book is that these little toddler bunnies are able to be noisy, silly and purely children as they get ready for bed.  Ives has created a little world filled with crunchy carrots, warm beds and lots of love that makes readers want to move right in.  This is the perfect quiet bedtime book for sharing when your rabbit is freshly washed, milky warm and ready to let rest until morning. 

Honey: A Gift from Nature by Yumiko Fujiwara, illustrated by Hideko Ise is a Japanese children’s book newly published in the U.S.  It is a story told from the point of view of a little child who could be either a boy or girl.  The father in the family keeps bees for honey and takes the child with him to gather it.  Children listening to or reading the book learn about how honey is made, how beekeepers approach the bees, and how different flowers change the flavor and color of the honey.  The illustrations in the book are gorgeous paintings that are deep with color, evoking the wonder and joy of honey.  This is a nonfiction picture book of a high quality.  Share it with children interested in insects.