Reviews: (by author)

Schotter, Roni. Room for Rabbit. Illus. Cyd Moore. New York: Clarion, 2003. $15.00. ISBN: 0-618-18183-0.

Room for Rabbit deals with difficult issues: divorce, re-marriage, and the typical fears of children in such circumstances Kara, the young protagonist, fears her father will have no room in his life for her after he re-marries. Kara is able to voice her fears by projecting them on her stuffed rabbit. Kara is then able to tell her father Rabbit's fears and her father promptly reassures her that there will always be room for Rabbit.

Written mostly in prose, the story's style is varied so that it sometimes edges along the fine line between prose and poetry. During a game of hid-and seek, Kara opens the broom closet and finds it stuffed with prop shoes for her stepmother's costume-making business. Schotter inserts a descriptive list: "Shoes with straps. Shoes with bows. Flat shoes. Fat shoes. Shoes that look like cat shoes!" These "lists" are scattered throughout the book, adding a playful, descriptive tone that helps children deal with the book's serious subject.

Cyd Moore's illustrations also help soften the story's hard subject. They are full of soft, round curves, warm colors, and smiling faces—all of which create a happy, safe feeling in the minds of young readers.

The book is useful in helping children deal with emotions they have trouble expressing after divorce. Parents can use the book to reassure their own children that there will always be "room" for them.

Recommended.
Elizabeth Klug. November '03

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