(2) K-3 This humorous and informative book's prickly main character is tired of being misidentified. "Rabbit?...I'm no Flopsy, Mopsy, or Cottontail. I'm a hare. H-A-R-E, hare!" Over the course of the brief, punchy (literally), dialogue-driven story, readers learn some differences between the two related species: for example, hares are larger: "Bigger ears, bigger feet. Check out my toes!" While relating this information to a ground squirrel--whom Hare rudely misnames "Chipmunk"--the self-obsessed leporid completely misses the fact that a predator is stalking them both. No matter; our pugnacious protagonist knocks out "Jackal" (really a coyote, as Chippie reveals) and moseys off into the sunset. No lessons were learned, or character flaws overcome, but readers should get some basic species knowledge and a few laughs. The Sonoran Desert–set digital spreads feature sandy-hued foregrounds, with plenty of wide-open sky. The main characters are outlined in strong black, with an appended search-and-find game challenging viewers to identify additional creatures in the book. A "Similar but Not the Same" page gives brief info about other oft-mistaken pairs: frogs and toads, turtles and tortoises, javelinas and hogs, and more.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021