Rabbit Bright

by Viola Wang

Rabbit Bright goes boldly into the night, turning night-time fears to colourful dreams in this glorious, stylish picture book.Sunless jungle, blackest cavern,Deepest ocean, starless amongst these nightmaresThere's no glimmer of a light.But when a certain rabbitSets out across night's field,The wonders of the darkest hauntsAre suddenly revealed...A stunningly illustrated adventure, perfect for calming bedtime worries.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Animals

32 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

Viola Wang is a children's book author and illustrator. Born in China, Viola graduated from Tsinghua University with a major in oil painting. She then moved to London, where she completed masters in animation and illustration while working as a graphic designer. Viola is also a graduate of the Children's Book Illustration MA at Cambridge School of Art, and a winner of the Sebastian Walker Award.

Growing up in a family of printers, Viola developed a profound interest in printmaking, which has been a significant influence on her own practice. She is now working on her own authored/illustrated books with Hachette Publishing. Her work focuses on diversity and inclusion and aims to empower children through picture books.

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A debut picturebook from author/illustrator, Viola Wang, tells the story of a brave, intrepid rabbit who sets out to discover what darkness is and conquer his fear of it. What he finds along the way is that light is everywhere if you just know where to look. It is a story that many children will relate to and builds upon Wang's own childhood fears.

Although the story itself is sweet enough, it's definitely Wang's illustrative techniques that caught my attention. A lecturer in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art, Wang's technique is three-colour screen printing technique and the joy is in the fascinating connection between these colours.

Inspired by her visit to the Lakes and a handling of the original Tale of Peter Rabbit, Wang's tale sees our little rabbit race into space, pass swirling, whirling trains and then deep into the ocean where light is so scarce. The tale might be a common one in the world of children's books but I've never seen it presented so vibrantly.

[MrsCookesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both children were really excited to read this one - the hardcover was intriguing to them both and the cover illustrations are so eye catching. It’s also a lovely large size particularly when opened so all of us could crowd around it together and get a good view.
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Whilst they initially struggled to engage with the narrative (this was overcome after a couple more reads) what makes this book stand out is the colours! The combination of the neon detailing and the dazzling illustrations makes this book simple breathtaking to behold.
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The theme of this book is quelling worries at bedtime; specifically those pertaining to the dark. My children both enjoyed discussing this with us and also pointing out all of the lovely bright details on each page.
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Rabbit Bright is a dazzling book with a lovely message and I think it will resonate particularly well with a younger audience as there is just so much to wonder at on every page.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid, vibrant illustrations bring this story to life. Rabbit Bright is a bit nervous about turning off the light, but a quick explore to see where the light goes, helps to settle their fears.