Rabbit’s Feat by Barney Saltzberg

It’s so unusual, and yet so sweet, to find a book where the title character may or may not actually be the main character, despite absolutely being the hero of the piece. I suppose one could argue semantics — Rabbit is the main active participant in the story, after all — but I’m really not that kind of book critic, lol.

What I can tell you is that this children’s picture book was tremendously entertaining, and reminded me of theatre in the best way, while also being a powerful example of how to be a good neighbor.

So Rabbit doesn’t actually get any dialog in these pages. That honor goes to the couple, after a fashion, at its heart: Boulder and Cactus. Cactus lives on the desert floor, and Boulder perches on a nearby cliff. The two often talk to one another longingly about being closer together — a seeming impossibility given their lack of mobility.

Rabbit and Butterfly can’t help but overhear these conversations during their own nocturnal peregrinations. And so, one day, Rabbit decides to make Boulder and Cactus’ wish come true.

Given how Rabbit and Butterfly have no dialog in this book, it’s unsurprising that Boulder and Cactus never know who their mysterious benefactors are. This makes the former duo’s actions especially moving, because it’s clear that they did it for no material gain to themselves, but merely for the pleasure of bringing joy to others. It’s kinda how people fulfill the requests of needy kids on those Angel Trees set up by the otherwise terrible Salvation Army. You give without expecting thanks in return: in other words, the true definition of charity.

And given the performative nature of so much charitable giving today, this is a very worthwhile lesson to instill in kids! I have nothing against credit where it’s due, but I also think it’s deeply gross to expect external validation for doing a good deed. I know we live in a capitalist hellscape — and you better believe I keep all those charitable giving receipts for a break on my taxes — but being kind should not be deliberately transactional. Rabbit and Butterfly have the capacity to make the dearly held wish of two neighbors come true, so they do. That’s a wonderful message, particularly in this current season of giving, and especially in a sociopolitical climate which centers the giver and reduces everyone else around them to a prop. Wow, that really is the quiet genius of this book, reminding us that we live in a community and that everyone, comfortable or needy, mobile or immobile, matters to the grand story of our lives in a society.

Barney Saltzberg’s art, composed with mixed media in Photoshop, is wonderfully textured and surprisingly playful. There’s also a subtle little science lesson thrown in there for good measure. Honestly, this is such a lovely book for kids, with a moral that wouldn’t go amiss for some adults either.

Rabbit’s Feat by Barney Saltzberg was published June 10 2025 by Hippo Park and is available from all good booksellers, including