Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Llewellyn, an anthropomorphized white rabbit, adores collecting things to remind him of "all the wonderful things he had seen and done." Fall leaves, heart-shaped stones, seashells—they all go into glass jars that line the shelves of his living room. When a spectacular sunset "the color of tart cherry syrup" draws Llewellyn down to the seashore, he scoops some of the light into jars, giving one to another bunny also observing the sunset. This is how he and Evelyn become best friends. Marcero works magic with prismatic watercolors, ink, and pencil, as her light-filled illustrations chronicle the young rabbits' exploits and their appreciative wonder of the world around them. In her artwork, Marcero collects their meaningful moments in jars, setting them against a scenic backdrop, perhaps a field of snow or flowers. But then Evelyn and her family move away. Lonely for his friend, Llewellyn awakens one night to a meteor shower and decides to collect it for Evelyn. He sends a star-filled jar to her in the mail, to which she replies with a package of city lights and sounds. This joyful account of friendship will charm readers with the notion of capturing wind or a rainbow in a jar, but its deeper message of maintaining relationships over a distance will comfort those who have moved or know someone who has. Preschool-Grade 2. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.
Booklist Reviews
Readers first met Llewellyn the rabbit in In a Jar (2020), where he was established as a great collector. He now applies this talent to his emotions, keeping big feelings in check by literally bottling them when they become intrusive. Fear is the first to go, which is quickly followed by sadness, excitement, anger, joy, and disappointment. Soon his storage closet is lined with jars filled with an assortment of feelings, each represented by a specific color that peers out from behind the glass. Finally, Llewellyn tries stuffing one emotion too many into the closet and they all burst forth, flattening the poor bunny as they fly free. The resilient rabbit shakes off the emotion explosion and eventually learns to get comfortable with his feelings. Marcero elevates the familiar practice of color-coding emotions through her eye-catching illustrations and creative layouts. Expressive, color-drenched scenes play light and darkness off Llewellyn's varying moods that are displayed through a dynamic assortment of spot art, panels, and full-page spreads. Though it doesn't break new ground, SEL collections will welcome this title. Preschool-Grade 2. Copyright 2022 Booklist Reviews.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Llewellyn, a stumpy white rabbit with stand-up ears, meets Evelyn as he gathers sunset light that's "the color of tart cherry syrup." He collects all kinds of precious things and keeps them in jars ("buttercups,/ feathers,/ and heart-shaped stones"), and now he has a friend to help. He and Evelyn (she's a rabbit, too) spend several happy seasons assembling treasures until Evelyn tells Llewellyn that her family is moving. "Llewellyn's heart felt like an empty jar." Then he works out a way to share new wonders with Evelyn even though she's far away. Thin, spidery lines trace the outlines of the eccentric collection of jars and their contents: "rainbows,/ the sound of the ocean,/ and the wind just before the snow falls." Color and scale add drama as the two small rabbits wander amid a sea of pink and red tulips and gaze at their own elongated shadows. Miniature panels of experiences and objects offer the charm of snow globes. Marcero (
School Library Journal Reviews
School Library Journal Reviews