Bunny and Clyde by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Scott Nash

Bunny and Clyde by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Scott Nash. Candlewick Press, 2024. 9781536228731

Rating:  1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4

Format: Hardcover early chapter book

Genre: Animal fiction

What did you like about the book?  “Bunny and Clyde were tired of being good.”  These two best friends – a rabbit and a chipmunk – always do the right thing: they follow the rules, use their manners, and help everyone in town.  So when they make the decision to be bad, it’s no surprise that they have no idea how to do it!  After finding inspiration in a pile of picture books such as Interrupting Chicken and Bad Kitty at the library, the pair trashes Bunny’s bedroom and steals her Maw-Maw’s secret stash of penny candy, but are quickly sentenced to clean-up duty.  They create a secret hideout in Bunny’s backyard shed, where they concoct a series of criminal schemes.  Each of their attempted bad acts becomes an unwitting good deed: they think they are destroying one neighbor’s daisy garden when they actually dig up all of his dandelions, and covering another neighbor’s rose bushes with toilet paper ends up protecting the plants from the season’s first frost.  And when they try to steal money from the town librarian’s piggy bank to replenish their candy hoard, she is so grateful to them for unjamming the coin slot that she rewards them … with a trip to the candy store.  The undaunted duo retreat to their hideout, to contemplate their next hijinks.

A new chapter book series from Judy Moody creator Megan McDonald is an appealing prospect for young readers.  Full of puns and wordplay, pop culture references, and very entertaining situations, Bunny and Clyde does not disappoint.  Kids will be drawn in right from the cover illustration of the two would-be criminals loaded down with rolls of toilet paper, and the laughter continues through mild pranks and misdemeanors like “un-alphabetizing” Bunny’s bookshelf and putting a fake spider in their friend Hamilton’s bike basket (Hamilton is a skunk; Bunny and Clyde realize that trying to frighten him might not be the smartest idea).  Ten quick chapters with large font and wide spacing are highlighted with detailed black and white illustrations, making the book accessible for independent readers in primary grades.  Humorous dialogue and whimsical secondary characters add to the fun, even for sharing with grown-ups, who will no doubt want to follow up with some conversation about right and wrong.

Anything you did not like about the book?  The book is funny and fast-paced, but somewhat light on character development; it’s hard to imagine what makes these two decide to embark on a crime spree with such little remorse or fear of repercussions.  Presumably that insight will be made clearer in future installments.  

To whom would you recommend this book? Readers in grades 1-3 who have enjoyed chapter book series like Kara LaReau’s Infamous Ratsos, Kate Messner’s  Fergus & Zeke, or Cynthia Lord’s Book Buddies.

Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries

Where would you shelve it?  Chapter books

Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles?  No

Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City:  Leigh Russell King, Lincoln Street School, Northborough, Massachusetts.

Date of review: April 20, 2024