Spring has been flirting with us, and Easter is around the corner. What better time for books featuring sweet little bunnies? These aren’t Easter books, but the bunnies are nearly as sweet as the chocolate kind. 
10 Hungry Rabbits
Anita Lobel
Knopf
ISBN: 978 0 375 86864 1
This very simple book follows a family of hungry little rabbits as they gather what they need to help their mama cook them some soup to eat. They have been sent out into the garden to see what they can find, and as they gather, readers are counting to ten and being introduced to colours. By the end, the bunnies have gathered plenty, and their mama is able to produce a great pot of soup for everyone to enjoy.
This is, as I say, extremely simple and direct, and while it would be too slight for older children, it is a perfect toddler book for introducing these concepts in the framework of a tiny bit of a story. The illustrations are in Lobel’s usual bold paint, and work well with the simplicity of the book and its audience. 
The Bunny’s Night-Light
Geoffrey Hayes
Random House
ISBN: 978 0 375 86926 6
A wee little bunny comes to his papa to tell him he can’t sleep with so much darkness. His papa comments that he needs a night-light, and the two set off in search of something to light the little rabbit’s room. They see many types of lights – stars, fireflies, streetlamps, and more – but none of them seem like they will work out. When they return home, they ask his mother, who of course has just the thing and only needed to be asked.
The illustrations here are soft, and in combination with the story, the whole verges on the too-sweet, but does stay just the right side of the line. The fact that the book has little glow-in-the-dark lights all through it means it could make a great story-time hit in the right balance of lighting – or that your kids will keep turning off the light to look at it. (The only problem being that you will need to leave it open to light to have that glowing effect work later… Good thing the story reads well and works without relying on that fun little extra.)