Hoppy Go Lucky

In Hoppy Go Lucky, an episode of the “Bunbun & Bonbon” series, Bunbun, a fun loving bunny and his best friend Bonbon, a purple candy, enjoy doing things together, like hopping, dancing, playing games and eating donuts. But Bunbun is having a bad luck day. What can they do to get their luck back? They visit Scout von Fluffington, a fox, for advice. He tells them if they have lost their luck, they must catch it. His suggestion is to set a trap with bait. The friends do catch something, but instead of luck, it’s a duck named Tom who suggests they might feel better if they tried floating on the water. Getting their water floats, they set off down the river when suddenly find themselves dropping over a waterfall. Discouraged and ready to go home, Bonbon spots a unicorn shaped cloud in the sky. When it turns out to be a real unicorn, Rosie Stardrop Sparklepants, the friends learn a secret to find luck. And not only do they find it but they also realize they have found three new friends.

Hoppy Go Lucky is the second book in this graphic novel series. Young readers will enjoy the eye-catching layout by author-illustrator Jess Keating. The bright colours of the cartoon style illustrations with large bordered panels and clear text font guide the child through the story. The emerging reader will enjoy the chapter format although numbering the chapters might define this feature more clearly. The cute characters add humour to the book.

This episode of “Bunbun & Bonbon” provides the reader with an adventure in problem solving. It illustrates how others can help you solve a problem in different ways, such as making a plan, calming down and having a positive attitude. The three new characters not only add interesting and fun ways to look at a troubling situation, but they also reinforce the theme of friends. The clear picture clues support and enhance the text. Shared reading with an adult would help the beginning reader with unfamiliar words and also assist the child to verbalize the different strategies the characters can use to solve the problem. Hoppy Go Lucky would appeal to younger emerging readers in grades 1 and 2.