Down the hole /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Anansi the Spider meets Jon Klassen in this wickedly witty debut.

When a suspiciously polite fox attempts to coax his next meal out of a burrow, he is met with a clever rabbit who has been cooking up a surprise for this very moment!

Careful readers may spot what is in store for fox before he does in this darkly funny cautionary tale that roots for the underbunny.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Horn Book Review

Wily Fox meets his match in crafty Rabbit, as the would-be predator waits by a bunny hole. Underneath the ground, the light from the hole shines down on a rabbit listening alertly while the rest of the bunnies spring into action. Some have hard hats and shovels, while others pore over a map, looking as if they are strategizing. Fox wants Rabbit to come up from the hole and starts his pitch: "Might a kind bunny help out a poor fox?" Rabbit pretends not to be able to hear him properly. While the pair goes back and forth, the scene pulls back to show the bustling underground warren with the bunnies scurrying purposefully around. Ming's pictures (digitally created and combined with gouache-painted elements) brim with energy and expression, using round panels, which evoke the shape of the hole, to move the story along. Rabbit persuades Fox to take a few steps backward -- unwittingly following the route the construction-clad bunnies have been digging -- and to start jumping up and down. Ming uses the upper third of the double-page spread to show Fox comically bouncing, while underneath, the other two-thirds of the page show another, much larger and more ferocious neighbor of the bunnies directly under Fox's feet. Though it is a life-and-death battle, the warm colors, humorous details, and skillfully paced writing and pictures make this a very funny and satisfying treat. Susan Dove LempkeNovember/December 2023 p.69 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Never try to outsmart a wily rabbit. Fox learns this lesson when he tries sweet-talking Rabbit into emerging from his burrow. Sitting beside the hole that leads to the burrow, Fox is all dulcet tones as he asks Rabbit to come out so he can ask him a question. Rabbit, wise to Fox's trickery, says he can hear Fox just fine right where he is. A funny conversation ensues as Fox urges and Rabbit resists. When Fox gives Rabbit his word not to devour him, Rabbit promises to poke his ear closer to the hole but asks Fox to step back a few paces. Fox complies, not realizing that Rabbit has thus sneakily positioned him to stand over the entrance to a den belonging to someone else. Rabbit then tells Fox to vigorously jump up and down atop the hole to scare bugs away. Again, Fox agrees--to his eventual detriment. Children will appreciate that Fox gets his deserved comeuppance and will giggle over this spirited tale filled with comical banter that proves a smart, brave, levelheaded individual can outwit a bully. The dynamic, witty illustrations depict wonderfully expressive characters and droll underground details; kids will have fun poring over all the amusing activities happening in the bunnies' habitat. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Readers will have a "hole" lot of fun with this entertaining book. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.