Overall Star Rating: 4 stars. The Adventures of Cookie and Were-Rabbit introduces an endearing pair of friends who embark on two gentle adventures centered around friendship, kindness, and helping others. The accompanying illustrations are beautiful throughout, adding warmth, color, and charm to every page. They complement the text wonderfully and are easily the book's standout feature. While I enjoyed the premise and felt there was plenty of potential, I found the overall structure a little confusing. The book consists of two very short stories, and I couldn't help feeling that a single, more developed adventure might have allowed readers to become more invested in the characters and their journey, as well as sit in a format that clearly appealed to a specific age range for readers. Cookie and Were-Rabbit are likeable, but I would have enjoyed learning more about their personalities, and many of the supporting characters also felt quite generic. The first story, in particular, left me with mixed feelings. Although its message encourages kindness and forgiveness, I struggled with how quickly Snowy and Doggo were forgiven after repeatedly trying to frighten Cookie and Were-Rabbit. Because the second story introduces a new conflict rather than building on that resolution, I felt the lesson lost its impact, because it repeats a lot of the 1st story’s beats. Had the stories been more closely connected, the emotional payoff might have felt stronger. Overall, this is a sweet concept with gorgeous illustrations and appealing protagonists. With more developed characterization and a more cohesive story structure, I think the adventures of Cookie and Were-Rabbit could become even more memorable. (Sophie Jupillat Posey)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars. Cookie and Were-Rabbit are the very best of friends who love to plan little adventures together. However, the local bullies can’t have them enjoy themselves and cause mischief whenever they can, trying to spoil the friends’ fun. But in life, it’s not as cut and dried as the good and the bad as Cookie and Were-Rabbit resort to scuffling to try to get the bullies to stop. Along the way they learn a valuable lesson about cooperation and finding alternatives to violence to settling disagreements. The Adventure of Cookie and Were-Rabbit by Puviyal Sri is two delightful stories in one, taking us first on a picnic, and then on a cliff-top overnight camp to look at the magnificent stars, and maybe even wish on a shooting star. In both stories, they are hounded by Doggo and Snowy, the village bullies, and on both occasions, they need to come up with a plan to resolve the conflict peacefully. Sri’s stories teach children that although violence may seem to be the only option, there is always a better way through extending the hand of friendship. The story also shows that this may not work immediately, and that repeated efforts may be needed. The characters are loveable and believable – even the bullies. Sri uses real life scenarios with personified animals to drive the theme home to young readers. The stories flow well at an even pace, drawing to a natural conclusion once the conflict is resolved. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout. If I had one criticism it would be that there are too many words on the page for very young readers, so more illustrations and breaking the stories into smaller segments could help there. However, this doesn’t detract from the story enough to affect the star rating. I feel this book has the potential to be a well-loved storybook for children from five to ten, and parents and grandparents will love to read it to the non-readers. (Phoebe Wilby)

Overall Star Rating: 4 stars. The Adventures of Cookie and Were-Rabbit is a picture book for readers between 3-7 years old, with core themes of friendship and successfully facing bullying. Despite encountering the village bullies Snowy and Doggo, the duo of Cookie and Were-Rabbit love to plan exciting adventures and won’t let anything spoil their fun. Simple but detailed illustrations are balanced with the text as the story progresses, with the artwork able to enhance storytelling and support comprehension. The story features a general level of language complexity so that young readers will be able to follow easily. There are multiple learning opportunities within the book that encourage critical thinking and meaningful emotional exploration. Empathy and reflection are also encouraged, both for parents reading to children, and children reading for themselves. This book has potential to encourage reading, build emotional intelligence and support learning. I would have no hesitation in recommending it. (Yvonne Marrs)