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" Bring on the candy eggs and beans, Easter Bunny. My kids&amp;#039; mouths are watering just anticipating their saccharine haul of loot. But this year, how about also adding something savory to their baskets to balance the sweet? Here are four rabbit tales that are smart and fun, with nary an ounce of treacle. Enjoy these children&amp;#039;s books\u2014during the sugar crash and after. 1.\u00A0Here Comes the Easter Cat, by Deborah Underwood, pictures by Claudia Rueda   What&amp;#039;s Cat to do when Easter Bunny gets all the love? Take over Easter, of course! With a flashy outfit and wheels to match, Cat&amp;#039;s all set to go. But wait, what&amp;#039;s this? &amp;quot;Poor, tired Easter Bunny&amp;quot; has a lovely chocolate egg for Cat\u2014and that changes everything. Selfish gives way to selfless in this cleverly illustrated dialogue that delivers a perfectly playful dose of sass. 2.\u00A0The Black Rabbit, by Philippa Leathers  Poor Rabbit. Everywhere he runs and hides, big Black Rabbit follows. Why won&amp;#039;t he go away? Rich watercolors frame our tiny hero, whose simple lines express a world of fear and joy\u2014and everything in between. 3.\u00A0Big Mean Mike, by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Scott Magoon  &amp;quot;Big Mean Mike was the biggest, toughest dog in the whole neighborhood.&amp;quot; That&amp;#039;s how everyone knew him; and that&amp;#039;s how he liked it. So it&amp;#039;s no small problem for Mike when the cutest bunnies ever start hanging out in his &amp;quot;big, mean&amp;quot; car: &amp;quot;Big, tough dogs do not hang around with tiny, fuzzy bunnies,&amp;quot; he barks at them. &amp;quot;Okay?&amp;quot; Nope. Not okay. Good friends come in all shapes and sizes we learn in this laugh-out-loud fable with the biggest, softest heart around.  4.\u00A0Brown Rabbit in the City, by Natalie Russell  There&amp;#039;s so much to do and see in the city, and Little Rabbit is excited to share it all with her visiting friend! But has Brown Rabbit come to dance, shop and see the sights\u2014or is he there to see Little Rabbit? This beautifully illustrated tale, with its retro palate and lyrical compositions, speaks of true friendship\u2014and slowing down to truly enjoy it. Randall de S\u00E8ve is the author of New York Times bestseller Toy Boat, The Duchess of Whimsy, Mathilda and the Orange Balloon, and Peanut and Fifi Have a Ball. She also spent many happy years teaching young children in Brooklyn, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and a very wicked dog named Henry Biscuit. You can contact Randall at her website. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/news/a17521/easter-books-children/>