Ribbit, rabbit, robot by Victoria Mackinlay
Illus. by Sofya Karmazina. Omnibus (Scholastic) 2020. ISBN:
9781743834060.
(Age: 4+) Highly recommended. Three friends, a rabbit, frog and a
robot work in an antique store. When the frog pulls a book from a
pile of books, a lamp falls on his head. Rub it, say the robot and
the rabbit, and rub it, the frog does. Out of the lamp pops a genie
with instructions about what to wish for, warning them not to be
mean. Both the rabbit and the robot are quick to use their wishes,
but the frog takes his magnifying glass to look closely at the fine
print. Rabbit has wished for another rabbit while the robot has been
given a robotic dog, but both are dissatisfied and want to grab the
lamp for themselves. Mayhem follows as the three battle for the
lamp, taking them across the sea in a canoe, over the fields in
bicycles, then in tractors, until they ascend in hot air balloons.
Each page sees another scramble of the words robot, rabbit and ribbit
as the author delightfully plays with the readers. Children will
laugh out loud at the variations of these words, wondering what will
come next. And the luminous illustrations full of movement and
detail will add to their enjoyment.
Finally the trio rockets into space with the lamp, until the frog,
still intrigued by the words at the end of the scroll, uses a
fishing line to grab the lamp from the robot.
His selflessness is rewarded while the selfishness of the rabbit and
the robot see their wishes undone.
This is a wonderful play on words which will have children amused
and entertained, wondering about the word variations. The
illustrations are meant to be pored over, searching through a myriad
of detail as the trio cavorts over water, seas, fields and space,
while the fabulous antique shop is full of wonders. The strong
message of being unselfish will resonate with the readers as they
laugh with the mayhem caused by the greed of the rabbit and robot.
Themes: Robots, Rabbits, Frogs, Selfishness, Genie, Wishes.
Fran Knight