Kirkus Review
A long-eared young hero takes on a witch bent on trapping rare legendary creatures in a magical book. Not so much a pastiche of E. Nesbit's short story "Book of Beasts" as an original novel with cribbed elements, this adventuresome outing regathers and expands the animal cast of DiTerlizzi's 2008 reworking of The Reluctant Dragon (titled Kenny & the Dragon) for a fresh challenge. As if coping with a dozen baby sisters and tending the bookshop of his questing mentor, Sir George E. Badger, aren't hard enough, Kenny Rabbit feels abandoned by his best friend, dessert-loving dragon Grahame--who happily recognizes the supposedly mythical manticore that springs from the pages of a grimoire as an acquaintance from olden days. Avid to collect magical creatures of all sorts, the book's owner, sinister opossum Eldritch Nesbit, tempts Kenny into an ill-considered bargain. But once he sees not only the manticore, but Grahame too snapped up, Kenny joins allies, notably his redoubtable crush Charlotte the squirrel, in a rumbustious rescue that also frees a host of unicorns and other long-vanished marvels. Aside from the odd griffin or al-mi'raj (a horned rabbit from Persian lore and an outlier in an otherwise Eurocentric cast), everyone in the lively, accomplished illustrations, from Kenny's impossibly adorable sibs on, sports amusingly anthropomorphic dress and body language. This oblique homage to a now-creaky classic is lit by friendships, heroic feats, and exceptional art. (Fantasy. 9-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Years after Kenny Rabbit's last adventures in Kenny and the Dragon (2008), life remains largely peaceful in his quiet town of Roundbrook, despite a few changes: he's now older brother to 12 rowdy rabbit sisters; the squirrel Charlotte, his good friend and crush, has headed to a new school; and his book-obsessed mentor is leaving to become advisor to the king. Through it all, Grahame, the chivalrous dragon, has stayed Kenny's best friend, resigned to being the last mythical creature in the realm, but when the manticore Dante appears, Kenny fears losing Grahame's best-friendship. But there's also jeopardy of a more pressing nature: a crafty witch and missing magical creatures, with the fate of Kenny's friends hanging in the balance. This may be a cozy world filled with darling animals--DiTerlizzi's fabulous illustrations bring them adorably to life--but the stakes are high, and the lessons on friendship, acceptance, and the dangers of prejudice are meaningful. It's certainly worth the return to the remarkable Roundbrook and its residents.
