Saturday, December 5, 2009

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett

Emily Gravett, who has won two Kate Greenaway medals (the UK's most prestigious children's illustration award) brings her wicked sense of humour to a math problem that was solved in the year 1202 by Fibonacci. Beginning with one pair of rabbits, under ideal breeding conditions, how many rabbits will there be in one year? The delightful result is more of an artefact than anything else. It is designed as a calendar and even has holes pierced all the way through so it can be hung on a wall. There are miniature books within, like a baby book, a newspaper and a cookbook. There's a knitting pattern for a rabbit-eared hooded sweater similar to the one worn in Sakai's Snow Day. The final spread is a 3-dimensional paper explosion of rabbits. I'll leave it to the more ambitious to count them all; I just love the art!

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