Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
By Candace Fleming
(Check Catalog)

Mr. McGreely makes his dream to have his own little farm come true until the arrival of some hungy bunnies cause him great problems by eating his fresh produce in the middle of the night. After planting the garden he has dreamed of for years, Mr. McGreely tries to find a way to keep some persistent bunnies from eating all his vegetables.

SLJ Reviews 2002 February (SL2B)

K-Gr 2-Mr. McGreely has always wanted a vegetable garden and when he finally plants one, he can't wait to taste his crisp, yummy produce. Apparently, three neighborhood rabbits are anticipating sampling the veggies as well, for "one night, when the sun went down and the moon came up," they appear. The next morning, the gardener awakens to find gnawed vegetables. In frustration, he begins to build a series of fences to keep the creatures away. Fleming has fun with language throughout the story, repeating the "Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" refrain every time the thieves sneak past the ever-extended and elaborate barricades into the garden. Finally, after building a stone guard tower,

Mr. McGreely is able to thwart the animals-or is he? The surprise ending will have youngsters giggling. Illustrations, rendered in gouache with acrylic and pencil and utilizing deep shades of brown and green, have an earthy feel to them. They exude warmth and lend personality to the plotting pests. Pair this with Janet Stevens's Tops and Bottoms (Harcourt, 1995) for a hilarious hop through the garden at storytime.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.