No Babysitters Allowed by Amber Stewart, Laura Rankin (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Hopscotch is a very brave bunny—except when his parents go out and Mrs. Honeybunch comes to stay. She wants to play, but Hopscotch would much rather be alone in his special NO BABYSITTERS ALLOWED fort . . . that is, until he hears Mrs. Honeybunch reading his books all wrong. But explaining the right way to tell the stories would mean leaving his fort, and Hopscotch isn’t sure he’s brave enough for that.

This sweetly funny story about separation anxiety will provide ample reassurance to young children (and their worried parents) facing babysitter night.

Children's Literature

It is not always easy to find a good person to care for a child while the parents go out, but sometimes the bigger challenge is to get the child to be willing to be left behind with even the best babysitter. That is the situation that Hopscotch and his parents face when the little rabbit is left with Mrs. Honeybunch. All of her invitations to paint, build a car, or play hide and seek are rejected. Hopscotch retreats under the table, leaving his favorite stuffed toy outside. Wise Mrs. Honeybunch finally coaxes Hopscotch out by deliberately mixing up the little rabbit's favorite stories. Soon, she has Hopscotch happily doing all of the activities before he contently goes off to bed. Laura Rankin's brightly colored illustrations make it possible for children to follow the story by reading the pictures. That might be a good idea since the story is a bit text heavy for preschoolers. At the same time, in some ways this story's appeal may be limited; for many children, having a caregiver, during the day or at night, is an everyday occurrence. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1

Hopscotch, the young bunny introduced in Rabbit Ears (Bloomsbury, 2006), has cleaner ears and a new dilemma. He may be brave when it comes to bugs and Band-Aids, but the prospect of an evening with a babysitter causes his tummy to hurt. When his parents reluctantly leave him with Mrs. Honeybunch-a warm, bespectacled caregiver complete with green sneakers and a bag of knitting-he retreats unhappily to his "No Babysitters Allowed" fort. Fortunately, Mrs. Honeybunch has a few tricks up her cardigan sleeve, and before the night is over, Hopscotch's tummy feels better and he is eagerly awaiting her next visit. Sweet and comically expressive cartoon illustrations work well with the text to bring punch and feeling to the story. While resolution to Hopscotch's issue comes a little too easily, this gentle and appealing book would work well for sharing with young children regardless of their positions on babysitters.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

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