When I was younger, I read many a Serendipity book. These books teach children how to deal with and overcome common problems that they may experience. One of my favorite of these books is Buttermilk, which deals with being afraid of the dark. Buttermilk, the main character, is a small bunny rabbit who believes she sees monsters when she is late getting home one night.

On the front cover of the book, we see a cream-colored bunny with golden spots nuzzling in a flowerbed. That would be enough information for me to buy this book, but for those who want more, read on. There is a quote on the front of the book which reads, “The dark of night, and a vivid imagination, can make ordinary things seem scary.” This is the theme of this book.

The story begins in the land of Chimera, “a beautiful land of wispy fog and setting suns.” Many creatures live in this land, but the most delightful are the bunnies. One of the most beautiful bunnies is the one known as Buttermilk because her fur looks like buttermilk when she is in the light. One day, Buttermilk is still outside when night falls, and she tries to hurry home. She is very scared because of the stories she heard from older bunnies about ghosts and goblins in the woods.

On her way, she thinks she sees a dragon, a bear, and a banshee. When she returns home, she is very shaken up, but her father rocks her to sleep and says that they will find her monsters in the light the next day. It turns out the banshee was a baby owl in a tree, the bear was a tree stump, and the dragon was a weeping willow tree. Buttermilk’s father helps her overcome her fear of the dark by showing her that there really aren’t any monsters. This is a good lesson for small children, as many youngsters are afraid of the dark.

The author of Buttermilk is Stephen Cosgrove, who wrote all the books in the Serendipity series. His writing is simple and easy to read, and he uses words that children will be able to understand. He includes a lot of detail so that children can envision what is going on in the book, even without the gorgeous illustrations (more about that later). Here is an excerpt from the book describing bunnies:

There lived in the land of Chimera many delightful creatures. But none were so delightful as the bunnies, whose fur was as fluffy as dandelion down and whose eyes shown like shiny black lumps of coal. Their noses twitched at the slightest breeze as they sniffed about looking for friend or foe, and when they felt that it was safe they would hop on large thumping feet down paths covered in needles from the trees called Velvet Pines.

Even if you had never seen a bunny before, you would probably be able to picture one because of the vivid picture Cosgrove paints with his words. I also noticed that Cosgrove used some literary devices like alliteration, as in the phrase: The bear's teeth began to chatter in anticipation of a busy, bushy, bundle of baby bunny breakfast.

The illustrations in Buttermilk are fantastic. Robin James does an amazing job of putting Cosgrove's words into pictures. There are lots of bright colors during the day, while at night there are lots of shadows. James also pays attention to detail, right down to the eyelashes on the bunnies. I like the way that James' drawings let us see how easily the trees could be mistaken for monsters at nighttime. The illustrations fit perfectly with the words in this book.

This is a wonderful story for young children most of all. The book ends with the words: Remember, at nighttime within shadows deep/ There aren't any monsters. Close your eyes, go to sleep. We once again see Buttermilk lying in a flowerbed, but this time, she is sleeping peacefully. This is a reassuring lesson to children who may have a fear of the dark or night, and I think Buttermilk would be a good book for parents to buy for their children. The story is very charming, and the illustrations are adorable, so even if you don't have children, you might want to check this book out.

Buttermilk was first published in 1986 by Price Stern Sloan, publishers of the Little Miss and Mr. Men series of books, in addition to over 40 Serendipity books. The book has been re-released and has a list price of $4.99, but you may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere. If not, buy it anyway because Buttermilk is definitely worth it.

This review is part of the Read Across America Day Write Off hosted by Debbie26.

Here are the names of other participants:
Debbie26
wifeofvolsfan
kamel622
vbanuelos
ed_grover
Jadzia66
marybatson
artemis8
sleeper54
dramastef

Recommended: Yes