Hare B&B
illustrated by Bill Pechet
Her name was Harriet, but everyone called her Harry. Harry was an only child. Then, unexpectedly, her mother had identical septuplets.“Seven’s a lot of work,” said her father. “Harry will help,” said her mother.
- Co-winner, 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Children's/Juvenile Early Reader/Chapter Book category)
- Co-winner, 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Gift Book category)
- Finalist, 2022 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award (one of the Canadian Children's Centre's Book Awards)
- Finalist, 2022 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleavere Canadian Picture Book Award (administered by IBBY Canada)
- Included in the Globe & Mail's "The Globe 100" for 2021
- Included in the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens (Autumn 2021)
- Top Recommended Read, TD Summer Reading Club (2022)
After her parents are duped by a coyote who is a master of disguise, Harriet (“Harry” for short) and her seven younger siblings are left to fend for themselves. Their only resource is their parents’ now-empty bedroom, so Harry and her brothers and sisters open a “hare bed and breakfast.” It is a great success. Then, the coyote comes calling again, and learns that revenge is a dish best served as breakfast.
Award-winning author Bill Richardson and acclaimed artist Bill Pechet join forces in this charming and hilarious tale about self-reliant young hares and a coyote who gets her comeuppance.
What folks are saying
Eccentric, detail-driven, original illustrations, rendered in delicate pencil lines washed in pale pastel hues, add edgy humour, visual energy, and whimsy to this little drama of deception and self-reliance. ~ Kirkus (read the full review)
A hare-raising spectacle! ~ Michael Winter, author of The Big Why and Minister Without Portfolio
Hare B&B is full of life and love and tragedy and just enough restorative justice. It’s really funny too, on top of all that. I loved it. ~ Mary Walsh, actor, director, author of Crying Down the Moon
Only a storyteller, wordsmith, bard, and punster like the inimitable Bill Richardson could come up with the notion of a Hare B& B, septuplets with chiming, rhyming names in a story that tickles the tongue and tugs at the heartstrings. Rollicking rhythm, perfect cadence from first page to last, this is a delightful, insightful and just right dose of frightful read aloud for all ages. Exquisite, gentle art accentuates the twists and turns of this classic tale. ~ Sheree Fitch, author of EveryBody's Different on EveryBody Street, If You Could Wear My Sneakers, Mable Murple and many more
A laugh-out-loud picture book that will delight readers of all ages.… filled with gags, puns and witty artwork that will keep children and adults laughing and thinking about the book for a long time… Harry (aka Harriet) is a hare who outwits a coyote in this clever picture book… Witty wordplay from beginning to end, with detailed drawings that extend the fun, give readers reason to explore again and again. ~ Jury comments, Marilyn Baille Picture Book Award
Hare B&B lives up to its punning title's promise of fun. ~ CM: Canadian Review of Materials (read the full review)