Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie

 

"Ralfy dreamed about books. In fact he didn't just dream about them ... he wanted to read all the time."

Adults will adore Ralfy's book list with titles such as:

• Around the field in 80 days
• The Secret Vegetable Garden
• The 39 Lettuces
• The Hoppit
• Warren Peas 
• Gone with the Carrots
• The Rabbit, the Fox and the Wardrobe

"He made lists of all the books he had read (and gave them carrot ratings). He made lists of all the books he wanted to read (and placed them in category order). He even made lists of books to recommend to his family and friends."

Now go back and re-read the book title - Wanted!  Yes Ralfy is a book thief. 

"He crept off with comics and cookbooks, dashed away with dictionaries and nabbed novels and pinced poetry."

Did you need a sentence to demonstrate alliteration - surely this one is perfect.

Who is Ralphy robbing?  Young Arthur has tons of books but he notices some favourites are missing. Arthur sets up a surveillance using his camera, notebook, chalk, sticky tape and a torch. He sits up waiting with snacks and his teddy bear for company. Late that night Ralfy arrives he takes yet another book and hops away. Arthur tries to tell adults what has happened but no one believes him especially not the police. 

Luckily for all the book owners though, Ralfy makes a big mistake. Unluckily for Ralfy the next house he tries to rob belongs to PC Puddle - the policeman Arthur had phoned earlier. The police use a lineup of rabbits wearing 'I love books' T-shirts and a conveyor belt of carrots and books to identify the thief. 

Ralfy is found - and he confesses but all Ralfy really wants is lots of books. Arthur (and every reader) has the answer. Ralfy needs a library card!

This book was published in 2015 but it is still available. It would be a good addition to your school library and a fun book to read at the start of the year as you are encouraging your students to use your library, read and borrow often! Here is the website for Emily MacKenzie. She lives in Scotland. Here's a video of Emily reading her book Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar.

MacKenzie’s text is sweetly amusing without being precious, and smart without being over-the-heads of children. Her watercolor and ink illustrations provide a pleasant, cartoon-like background to her story. The pictures perfectly accompany the text on the page without distracting from the plot. When you stop to appreciate the sophisticated ease of MacKenzie’s writing and illustrating style, it is hard to believe this is a debut book. The Children's Book Review

MacKenzie combines story and illustration with brightness, action, and intrigue, keeping the pace moving while endearing this fluffy burglar to readers. Much of the illustrative humor is geared toward older bookworms, with famous titles adapted to long-eared persuasions: Warren Peas, for example, and The Rabbit with the Dandelion Tattoo, ensuring that adults will stay as engaged as little listeners will. This will be a raving favorite for fans of books about books as well as older readers who can appreciate the library humor. Kirkus review

There are three books in this series - the newest one The great library rescue will be published in April, 2024.

Beware! Ralfy Rabbit LOVES books. He loves nothing more than finding a quiet spot and reading. But things aren't so quiet anymore … Rodney, Ralfy's new baby brother, is making sure of that. And when Ralfy discovers a huge bite-mark hole in one of his favourite books, things go from bad to worse. Who could be behind the biting? Ralfy Rabbit is determined to find out!

Help! Ralfy and his little brother Rodney LOVE reading - so when they hear that their local library is closing down, they know they have to do something. According to the librarian, it would take a magic dragon to save the library - so Ralfy, Rodney and their friends set off to find one! Will Ralfy find the magic dragon? Or is there - just maybe - another way to bring the town together and save the library for everyone?