Hugs on the Wind

Little Cottontail misses his Grandfather very much, and he is convinced Grandfather misses him too. In conversation with Mama Cottontail, he uses his imagination to find ways to communicate with Grandfather. First he sends hugs on the wind, then smiles to the clouds and a shared joke to the river, which ‘babbled merrily on its way’. Little Cottontail believes that Grandfather responds by sending his song through the trees and his bedtime winks through the stars. Mama and Little Cottontail blow kisses at the moon for Grandfather before they sleep. Death is never mentioned in the story, though clearly Little Cottontail has suffered a loss and is coping with it through the natural world. The delicate watercolour illustrations are poignant and endearing, soft-edged with a sculptural quality. The fact that the little rabbit is rather egocentric, as a young child would be, is realistic. If the text has fey qualities, it is nevertheless movingly written. A quality production.