I’m a Hare So There – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: Im a Hare so There

Author & Illustrator: Julie Rowan-Zoch

Publisher: HMH, 2021

Ages: 4-8

32 pages,

Genre: informational fiction

Themes: hares, rabbits, animal differences/similarities, Sonoran desert creatures, ecosystems, compare & contrast

Opening:
Hello, Rabbit.

Rabbit? Did you say…

Synopsis:

When a chipmunk mistakes Hare for a rabbit, Hare puts him in his place. But actually, the chipmunk is a SQUIRREL. Or so he says.

Ever wondered about the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? Or a sheep and goat? So have Rabbit and Chipmunk—er, I mean, Hare and Squirrel! This hilarious look at dynamic duos in the animal kingdom pokes fun at the lookalike animals we all love, while delivering a gentle lesson on appreciating differences and standing up for what you know to be true about yourself. (publisher)

Why I like this book:

FUN and FACTS, this is a hilarious informational fiction picture book and perfect introduction to a classroom project on the differences between animals that are similar but not the same. This jackrabbit, oops no, I mean hare, is FULL of attitude, it is laugh-out-loud funny. The humor invades every page from both the text, and from the art. The digital illustrations are playful and the desert scenery makes a great backdrop to the humor. Great choice to have the book a horizontal format as this really adds to the wide blue-skied desert landscape, and I love how several illustrations cover fully both wide pages adding a punch to this larger-than-life character and their larger-than-life ecosystem.

Bright and enticing art paired with a snarky, smart protagonist make this picture book one to be reread many times. And, of course I learned some new facts myself. Who knew hares but not rabbits change color in the winter? I love Rowan-Zoch’s picture book début as author-illustrator and can’t wait for more.

Activities/ Resources:

I recommend this book as a fun read aloud, and in the classroom with multiple curricular connections. This would work well on units about ecosystems in science or compare/contrast practice in science and English. Bright colorful back matter on some “Similar but not the same” animals. Very young kids can search other desert creatures scattered throughout the illustrations (see look and find page at end.)

Each week a group of bloggers reviews picture books we feel would make great educational reads. To help teachers, caregivers and parents, we have included resources and/or activities with each of our reviews. A complete list of the thousands of books we have reviewed can be found sorted alphabetically and by topics, here on Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

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