After "an elephant" fills the page, only the boy's departing foot can be seen as the children retreat when "a crocodile" lunges out, a well-placed voice bubble and the croc's gaze indicate that all three players have exited stage right. Her scowl turns to a competitive smirk when the next question ("or a girl?") suggests the skater could be female. When the dog chases the cat, the girl shoots an irritated look at her laughing friend, who shouts, "A dog!" As a hockey player crawls from the hat ("A boy"), the displeased girl crosses her arms. Voice bubbles contain its deadpan questions ("Which would you rather be?/ A stick/ or a stone?/ …/ A cat/ or a dog?"), as each possibility emerges from the hat and the children react with a word or a gesture. On almost every page, a big gray rabbit faces two children across an upside-down top hat. In this wonderfully economical exercise, a shrewd question-and-answer format harmonizes with fine-tuned images.
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