Wazzyjump the rabbit is rumoured to have magical powers, though none of the other animals know what they are. Lion commands the other creatures to find the rabbit and compel him to give up his magic, but discovers (as do we) that the magic of “laughter and playfulness” is to be shared, not stolen.

The first book by Toronto artist Michael Moniz features illustrations with considerable appeal, both for their soft, luminous colours and for the delicacy with which they convey a sense of lively movement. The sunshine that bathes the pictures, the rabbit silhouettes on every page and on the endpapers, and the leafy scrollwork decorating some of the pictures and letters all give the book an old-fashioned charm.

Though the art is the main attraction here, Moniz’s story has a satisfying inevitability, and his text, for the most part, reads aloud quite well. This is a gentle and appealing book, one with a clear message about the power of having fun.