In 2023, I reviewed two enjoyable children’s books by Peter Rosnick centering on JoJo, an extremely small person who is “smart, clever, thoughtful and brave.” 

The author, a retired math professor and dean at Greenfield Community College, first heard tales about JoJo from his late father, Chick Rosnick, when the author was a child.

Today, Peter Rosnick, who lives in Conway, tells the JoJo stories to his grandchildren in honor of his father and mother … and of the spirit of innovation and bravery he hopes all children will embrace.

In the newest installment, “JoJo and Bea the Bolivian Bunny” — thoughtfully translated as “JoJo y Bea la Coneja Boliviana” — JoJo is recruited by the mayor of his town to use his smarts to avert a neighborhood disaster. 

Bea is JoJo’s physical opposite. The bunny is huge. Illustrator Kathryn Burke cleverly introduces the lagomorph dwarfing a red Volkswagen beetle. Bea is clearly upset about something. She is thumping her tail so hard all the surrounding buildings begin to shake. Clearly, innovative intervention is called for.

When JoJo tries to communicate with Bea by wrinkling his nose as he has done with other bunnies, he discovers that because she is Bolivian she doesn’t understand English. Happily, he and his nose are capable of speaking Spanish so he wrinkles it again to ask what is happening in that language. 

He finds that poor Bea’s beautiful cottony tail is caught in a fence. When JoJo comes up with a novel solution to this problem and pulls Bea away from the fence using a rope, the poor bunny’s tail separates from her body and goes flying into the air.

JoJo and Bea enlist several forest creatures to help them as the tail keeps getting into trouble. It is almost hit by a train. It goes down a waterfall. It gets stuck on a flagpole.

Fortunately — this isn’t really a spoiler because the reader is confident that JoJo and his friends will save the day — the tail and the bunny are eventually reunited. It’s not quite clear how Bea manages to reattach her fluffy appendage, but she does. And she showers love on JoJo and his animal friends.

“JoJo and Bea” is a charming story for youngsters up to the age of 8 and perhaps even older. I certainly enjoyed it, and I am considerably more than 8. 

Burke’s colorful illustrations playfully depict the velocity and drama of the tail’s journey. Rosnick’s fun text reflects the narrative’s origins as a bedtime story. He repeats and builds on information in the way one does when spinning a tale for children. And he dwells on hope.

Rosnick has appearances lined up this spring at libraries in Franklin County (Greenfield and Orange) and Hampshire County (Easthampton and Belchertown). He will begin his book tour at the Field Memorial Library in Conway on Saturday, April 4 at 11 a.m. 

For a full listing of his upcoming destinations, visit the JoJo website at thoughtfulbravejojobooks.com.

Rosnick will be reading at these appearances, and books will be for sale. “JoJo and Bea the Bolivian Bunny” (Thoughtful and Brave JoJo Books, 30 pages, $24.95 hardcover and $13.49 paperback) may also be purchased at Amazon.com.

Anyone who wants to hear Rosnick read and talk but cannot attend one of his library sessions may hear him in conversation with author Christine Copeland and host Denise Schwartz on the podcast “Backyard Oasis” at https://rss.com/podcasts/backyardoasis/2600046/.

Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning writer and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.