Our Twitchy - Hardcover

Kes Gray started his career as a copywriter for an advertising company before turning his talents to writing for children. The author of several picture books, he was voted one of the top ten children's authors by the noted newspaper The Independent only a year after his first book was published. He lives in England with his family and an assortment of animals.

Mary McQuillan has made designs for everything from greeting cards to textiles, but her first love is children's books. She has illustrated a number of successful picture books in her native England, where she lives in the countryside with her dog, Bonzo.

PreSchool-Grade 1-Twitchy the rabbit asks his parents why they don't hop like he does. They explain that even though they live in a burrow (an old train tunnel) and eat carrots (to help them see in the dark), they aren't his Bunnymom and Bunnypop. Twitchy's adopted mother is a cow, and his adopted father is a horse. The youngster is so upset when he hears this that he runs away from home. Milfoil and Sedge search everywhere but then head for home with heavy hearts. When they hear a voice, they gallop to the train tunnel to find Twitchy sitting by the entrance, covered in mud with his ears rolled up and secured by clothespins and a twig tied onto his tail. He tells them: "I can change. I promise I can change. I can be a cow or a horse. But please be my real mom and pop." Milfoil and Sedge assure him that they are his parents and love him and that they don't want him to change. Pastel-colored illustrations invoke a feeling of calm and tranquility. This touching story will amuse readers as they, along with Twitchy, discover that being in a family is about love and acceptance.
Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL
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