With Wolfie the Bunny we welcome another new-sibling picture book into the world — this one with tons of humor and age-appropriate drama, and with plenty of child appeal in both text and art. (And carrots. Lots of carrots.)

What will the Real Committee be looking at? I imagine they will ooh and aah over the actual cover (under the jacket) with its funny mirror image reversal on the back.

I think they'll appreciate the bold palette and the judicious use of that soft but arresting PINK that eventually will be reserved for Wolfie's footy-pajama "bunny suit."

They'll certainly notice that, no matter how still or static a particular composition might be, OHora's (by now familiar) use of those short brush-stroked black lines on his characters' bodies and faces always provide energy and movement. Of course, they can also be distracting, making it difficult to pick out an eyebrow or a nose amongst all the competing brush strokes. And because the facial expressions aren't always clear, sometimes it's hard to discern what a character is supposed to be feeling. But committee members will also likely notice that our hero's name is "Dot" and that she has one large white spot over her left eye, which gives the viewer somewhere to focus and helps, in most cases, to parse her face.

The committee members (and kids) will laugh at the tension between Dot's parents' total devotion to adopted baby wolf (and carrot devourer) Wolfie and Dot's intractable suspicion of him: "He's going to eat us all up!" They will notice moments where the humor is perfectly paced and presented, as on the double-page spread, saturated with color, with no white space at all, where Dot can't sleep, so fearful is she of her new little brother. On this spread, Wolfie sleeps peacefully on the left-hand page, while on the right-hand page wide-awake Dot keeps her headlamp trained on him; and the shadow that the beam of light casts is in the shape of a scary wolf with very sharp teeth.

I imagine the committee will appreciate the effective use of different sizes and colors of typefaces at dramatic moments. And I hope they appreciate the pacing, especially the timing of the one wordless illustration in the book, the reconciling hug between Dot and Wolfie. It works perfectly as the resolution to all the tension and drama, and no words are needed.

They may have a few questions. I have one. Why an entire spread devoted to artist's and author's notes in the back? The notes are sweet, but the information they contain could certainly have appeared on the copyright page, or on the flap copy. We've come to expect a page of notes at the end of a picture book biography or a more complex book like, say, A Fine Dessert. But not a simple storybook for very young readers, like this one. I found it disconcerting to come to the penultimate spread, read its satisfying and seemingly perfect ending lines, but not be sure the book was actually finished, because there was still that last page to turn. Sort of like coming down a flight of stairs and thinking there is one more step, but in reverse. I just wish it wasn't there.

The takeaway: Lots to appreciate, a few quibbles. Where do you fall on the appreciation meter for Wolfie the Bunny? Grab a couple of carrots and comment below.