Time to fill a basket with books about bunnies

Over the next two weekends, children are going to see their fair share of bunnies. They'll see chocolate ones, soft stuffed ones and maybe even one or two real ones in the garden. And then there are those bunnies drawn on the pages of scores of Easter- and spring-themed picture books.

But did you ever wonder, "What Does Bunny See?"

According to author Linda Sue Park, one playful rabbit sees red poppies, yellow primroses, purple violets and pink water lilies. After a busy day in the cottage garden, the bunny happens upon the blue morning glories, and she starts to yawn just like the flowers.

Illustrator Maggie Smith's cheerful pictures in "What Does Bunny See?" (Clarion, ages 3 to 6) are done in watercolor and pencil.

Other burning rabbit questions in the minds of young readers might be "who is the Easter bunny?" and "what does he do?"

Those are answered in "The Story of the Easter Bunny" (HarperCollins, ages 3 to 8) by Katherine Tegen and illustrated by Sally Anne Lambert.

As this story goes, an old couple actually started the tradition of coloring eggs, making holiday chocolates and delivering them both to children in baskets. But as they got more frail, their pet rabbit took on more responsibility.

Eventually the bunny's enterprise expanded so much it didn't fit in the couple's house -- and too many children were getting in on the secret -- that he had to move the operation to the woods. He recruited other rabbits to help him, ensuring that there would be enough Easter baskets for all.

"The Magic Rabbit" (Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, ages 4 to 8) is obviously a special bunny, not only because of his special powers and fantastic black hat. His best trick is finding a best friend that makes everything else that much more enjoyable.

It's a warm and fuzzy story by Richard Jesse Watson.

One boy's bunny is stuck to him like glue -- on his head, no less -- in "A Boy and His Bunny" (Arcade, ages 3 to 6) by Sean Bryan.

The bunny and the boy have to make the case to the boy's mom that he can still do all his normal activities with his new friend in tow. It's a good thing he succeeds since it'll lessen his mother's shock when his sister shows her the alligator on her head.

Tom Murphy's line drawings might remind both young and older readers of another favorite bunny book, "Pat the Bunny." It has a similar color palette of light blue, yellow and white.

"Lettice the Dancing Rabbit" (Aladdin, ages 3 to 8) by Mandy Stanley tells the tale of a talented ballerina with two floppy ears and a lot of bounce in her step. That's what makes her a good dancer, but she realizes that what she's even better at is being a bunny who can help in the garden and go on picnics with her family.

"The Runaway Bunny" (HarperCollins, ages newborn to 3) has fanciful ideas of hiding from his mother, maybe posing as a fish in a trout stream or a crocus in a garden. But his mother always responds that she'll find him anyway.

"If you run away," she says in this reprint of Margaret Wise Brown's 1942 book, "I will run after you. For you are my little bunny." Pictures are by Clement Hurd.

Rabbits enjoy a starring role in many springtime and Easter-themed books, but young readers also have plenty of options if they favor ducks, ladybugs or little lambs:

* "The Great Easter Egg Hunt" (Dutton, ages 3 and up) by Michael Garland. A hide-and-seek book with secret messages and unexpected pictures woven into the illustrations.

* "Little Lamb: A Pull-the-Tab Cloth Book" (Cartwheel Cloth/Scholastic, ages newborn and up). Part book, part stuffed animal, this fuzzy little lamb dances until bedtime.

* "Lola Hides the Eggs" (HarperFestival, ages 3 to 6) by Diane DeGroat. Lola, an opossum, pretends she's the Easter bunny, hiding eggs in unexpected places.

* "The Happy Eggs" (HarperCollins, ages 2 to 8) by Ruth Krauss and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. A little bird can do just about anything once she breaks through her shell.

* "The Ugly Duckling" (Minedition/Penguin, ages 4 and up) by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by Robert Ingpen. A new version of the timeless story about an awkward duckling looking for acceptance. The unusual art looks like a combination of painting, etching and paper manipulation.

* "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (Sterling, ages 8 and up) by Lewis Carroll and illustrated by Michael Foreman. Foreman studied the original photographs of Alice before setting out to offer his painted version.

* "Little Chick's Easter Surprise" (Cartwheel/Scholastic, ages up to 3). The surprise in this board book is that some eggs never hatch because they're made of chocolate!

* "Duck's Key: Where Can It Be?" (Kane/Miller, $14.95, ages 4 to 8) by Jez Alborough. A lift-the-flap book that stars a clueless duck who's got a knack for rhyming but can't find his keys.

* "Nancy, the Little Gosling" (Minedition/Penguin, ages 4 and up) by Eve Tharlet. Nancy might not be the best at flying or swimming, but no one knows butterflies like this little gosling.

* "Little Duck" and "Little Ladybug" (Chronicle, ages infant to 4). Finger puppets peek out of the board books to combine reading with interactive play.

* "Little Quack's Bedtime" (Simon & Schuster, ages 2 to 6) by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Derek Anderson. Little Quack can't fall asleep because he wonders about all the lights in the sky -- and then he can't sleep because the night is too dark.

* "Where Do Chicks Come From," (HarperCollins, ages 3 to 6) by Amy E. Sklansky and illustrated by Pam Paparone. Inquiring minds want to know and this "Let's Read and Find Out Science Book" details the life cycle of a chicken.