The bad bunnies' magic show by Mini Grey

Simon and Schuster, 2017. ISBN 9781471157608
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Magic. Magicians. Deception. A slight change in plans means that The Great Hypno has been unavoidably detained and is replaced by the two bunnies, Mr Abra and Cadabra. The two bunnies take over the magic show usually put on by The Great Hypno, changing a fish into an octopus, using one of the bunnies as a target for knife throwing, changing a bird into a beast, and sawing a woman in half. All is done with the magic wand and the words, Hey Presto, reminding readers of days gone by when this sort of entertainment was far more usual than it is today. People reading the story with the children will have fun recalling the fairs, fetes and circuses which once were common in towns and cities alike. Television shows about magicians too seem now a thing of the past, and so this will rekindle interest and teach the words and images that went with this form of entertainment.
Mr Abra and Cadabra go on their merry way, eventually using hypnotism to get the audience asleep to steal from them, but the woman sawn in half comes to the rescue of The Great Hypno and all is well.
A wonderful read aloud story, I can imagine children and adults alike putting on various voices of the people involved, searching for The Great Hypno, detained by the bunnies and looking closely at the images that make up a magic show. Great fun and gloriously illustrated, with lift the flap pages adding to the intrigue.
Fran Knight