The Infodad Page
Spring, 2001

Gorgeous paintings are the main attraction of Bunny and the Beast, a retelling of the famous fable casting Beauty as the Bunny, a beautiful rabbit, and the Beast as a bull terrier who slobbers a bit but never really looks fearsome. This makes the book appropriate for the younger end of its target audience of children ages 5-8. But older kids, including ones at the older end of the target age range, will likely laugh at the notion that anyone could find this Beast -- with his large snout and elegantly rendered footwork during dances -- to be fearful, much less formidable. In fact, Bunny never does seem very scared as the tale meanders through its familiar ways: Bunny's father must give up Bunny to the Beast after picking a rose from the Beast's garden, but Bunny does very well for herself in the Beast's castle, eventually coming to love him, and at the end sees him changed into a "devastatingly handsome" rabbit prince. Pamela Silin-Palmer renders the story in multicolored, extremely busy panels that sweep off the edge of every page and include such delightful details as frog courtiers, a book called "Lapin Fou" lying open on the flour, swans whose necks meet in a heart shape, and much more. The sparkling drawings quite outshine the tale as retold in mostly straightforward fashion by Molly Coxe, though this version certainly does move trippingly along.

The Chuckanut Reader
Spring, 2001

Renowned artist Pamela Silin-Palmer brings her stunning paintings of animals in clothes to the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast. The story is retold with rabbit as Beauty and a bull-terrier as the beast who is destined to become a handsome bunny prince. The text includes touches of humor to match the witty, beautiful paintings.

INDIANAPOLIS STAR
Indianapolis, Indiana
Sunday, April 1,2001
by Jane Lichtenberg, staff writer

I'm envious. Childrens' books are so much more fun to read than those written for adults. The stories are lighthearted, informative and uplifting, and the illustrations often are top quality. After all, what adult book features a polka-dot bat or a fudge volcano? At least we adults get to read them to young children.

It's a toss-up who enjoys them more. A new batch of books from publishers has arrived in the stores, just in time to add to Easter baskets of kids, from toddlers to teens. Molly coxe re-creates a classic in BUNNY AND THE BEAST (Random House, $15.95).Rabbit fairies, frog troubadours, and a poor, beleaguered merchant papa accompany Bunny heroine as she falls in love with the bull-terrier Beast, whose bark is worse than his bite. Pamela Silin-Palmer's magical and lush illustrations make the book especially appealing.