Those of you who thought Spring would never come this year have been proven wrong. Here she is at last!
Kenny: I’m so glad to see you, Spring. It’s been a long winter. Thanks for coming.
Spring: My pleasure. It’s nice to be so appreciated; I owe winter one. What can I do for you Kenny?
Kenny: Two things really. I want to get your book picks for the Spring season, but first I’m hoping you can clear up some rumors I’ve been hearing about the historical background of the Easter Bunny.
Spring: I’ll do my best.
Kenny: Thanks. One story I’ve been hearing is that the Easter Bunny has an identical twin who, a la the Man in the Iron Mask, has been kept locked away from public view in a dank prison cell with his head encased in an egg-shaped mask. The rumor is that he led a failed uprising against his brother and that the dispute between the twins arose because the bunny we know as the Easter Bunny preferred distributing eggs, while his identical twin was in favor of distributing books.

Spring: Hmmn. On second thought, perhaps it would be best to leave the past alone. There’s no reason to disinter old bones.
Kenny: Are you saying that it did really happen?
Spring: There is some truth in that story, yes, but many aspects relating to it are questionable or inaccurate. For example it is true that the book-loving bunny led an uprising against his brother, but the pernicious stories of all his followers having been impaled on sharpened carrots after the rising are purely apocryphal.
One certainty is that the Book Bunny spent many years imprisoned and forgotten. The real question involves the report that one afternoon, when the Egg Bunny came to gloat over his brother, as he occasionally did, the Book Bunny turned the table on him and escaped, leaving his egg-favoring brother a prisoner in his place. However, I am not the best person to affirm the truth of that.

Kenny: Who is then?
The Book Bunny: I would be happy to clear things up for you.
Kenny: Aaah! Oh! I didn’t see you there.
The Book Bunny: Yes, well, centuries of tradecraft.
Kenny: I see! I’ll take you up on your offer. What is the truth?
The Book Bunny: First of all, there are five official Easter Bunnies at any given time. Individual Easter Bunnies tend to have specialties. Mine is books.
Kenny: Aha! So The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes is a true story. There are five bunnies. That is news indeed!
The Book Bunny: Yes, apart from being the best Easter book of all time, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes is also a work of non-fiction and good for Common Core. Now these other tales you have been hearing about all refer to old disputes that occasionally have arisen between bunnies with different specialties over the centuries. Personally I don’t like to reflect on all the time I spent in that dank cell.
Kenny: I see. While I have you here is there any new bunny book you think is a real standout this year.

The Book Bunny: Oh, certainly. Wolfie the Bunny is just delightful. It is filled with humor, charming characters, and good bunny role models. I highly recommend it.
Kenny: Fabulous. What about the best new books coming out this Spring in general?
The Book Bunny: I only read kids’ books – you’ll have to get some adult picks from Spring. For picture books my two big favorites are Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats, by Alicia Potter and illustrated by Birgitta Sif, and Stick and Stone, by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.  Also there is a terrific board book original coming out, Yellow Copter, by Kersten Hamilton and illustrated by Valeria Petrone. It’s a sequel to Red Truck.
Kenny: I love Red Truck!
The Book Bunny: Exactly! Moving up from there, and considering that Spring is a kind of renewal after all, there are two fabulous sequels to be aware of, Dory Fantasmagory and the Real True Friend, by Abby Hanlon and Half Wild, by Sally Green. For Young Adults, An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir and Ask the Dark, by Henry Turner are two books that no one should miss.
Spring: What about The Penderwicks in Spring?!
The Book Bunny: I was leaving that for you.

Spring: Oh, right, good one. Okay my picks for adult books coming out this Spring are Church of Marvels, by Leslie Parry for fiction, for its well developed characters and intriguing backdrop. Fun! For non-fiction it is all about Pirate Hunters, by Robert Kurson.
Kenny: Yes I’m very excited to see a new book by Kurson. I understand that it features some of the same characters as his sensational Shadow Divers. Is it up to that standard?
Spring: Yes, it is another true tale set in the world of wreck diving, and John Chatterton figures in it prominently. Hmm. It’s a terrific read but perhaps a half notch below Shadow Divers. Speaking of piracy, another book you’ll want to be mindful of this Spring is Mathew Pearl’s Last Bookaneer.
Kenny: Great choices! Thank you both for your time and your expertise.I know people will be so pleased that you have arrived at last!
Spring: My pleasure! I know I should have gotten here earlier but I hope it will be as the old saying runs,”Need brooks no delay, but late is better than never.”

The Book Bunny This year Spring I think that “old saw (will) be proved truer than ever before men spoke with mouth!”