Review: Are You The Easter Bunny?


By now, most of us have heard of the Easter Bilby. A cute long-eared, pointy-snouted, nocturnal marsupial native to Australia’s arid lands aka the Australian Easter Bunny. But when a trio of young desert dwelling birds encounter their very first bilby, they are in need of a bit of convincing that this critter is not in fact EB Og.

And who better to persuade them than Bilby himself. In lilting rhyming verse, Bilby escorts his curious companions through an intriguing list of his best qualities. What makes this adventure so alluring however, is the choice of descriptive wordplay Janeen Brian employs to do so.

Bilby’s eyes become his peepers, two tall pink straight-ups are his ears and his scratcher-scritchers …? Well, you be the judge. Clues are secreted in follow-up verse as Bilby explains what each of these features help him do, eat, and shelter from. The results are both delightfully informative and hilariously goofy. I will never be able to look at my dogs’ wagging tails again without thinking of them as bottom-wigglers!

Awakening one’s hippocampus connections with repetition and anchoring new perspectives with interest and humour are the keys of success in this cheerful tale that at its heart, embraces a wider appreciation of not just the gorgeous and endangered bilby but our outback environment, as well.  

Gifford’s inspired illustrations perpetuate the fun, playful hues we so often associate with Easter; pastel pinks, cheery yellows and soft blues whilst still respecting the intense ochre tones of Bilby’s desert landscape. Bilby himself, portrayed in gentle bunny-grey brushstrokes, could easily be mistaken for one of this religious season’s most recognisable symbols but as we are all fully aware of by the last page, he is definitely not and ostensibly so much more.

Are You The Easter Bunny? is a warming treat to snuggle down with and serve up to littlies aged three and above this Easter holiday season because, like Bilby’s intricate burrow, it is full of stimulating twists and turns generating as much appeal as the real EB himself.

Title:  Are You The Easter Bunny?
Author:  Janeen Brian
Illustrator:  Lucinda Gifford
Publisher:  HarperCollins, $24.99
Publication Date:  28 January 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781460765494
For ages:  3+
Type:  Picture Book

Buy the Book: HarperCollins Publishers Australia

 

 

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