By Samantha Critchell
The Associated Press

Signs of spring abound - including rapidly multiplying rabbits! So how is one little bunny, in fact, the littlest bunny in a very big family, going to make his presence known?

"Fluffy Bunny" (Scholastic/Cartwheel Books, $15.95, ages 3-5) decides the best way to do this is to find a new family, one with time to play only with him.

Of course, the grass is always greener (and sweeter - which matters to a rabbit) on the other side, and Fluffy's encounters with otters, field mice and woodpeckers, while pleasant, can't make him stop missing his own mother, father, brothers and sisters. Just when Fluffy is about to collapse from running with a family of too-fast horses, his own brood shows up in this "soft-to-touch" book by Piers Harper that features sweet, pastoral pictures.

There's another bunny roaming the fields who is more than a little confused about his family, especially since his mom Milfoil is a cow and pop Sedge is a horse.

Turns out little Twitchy is adopted. And that's what makes "Our Twitchy" (Henry Holt, $15.95, ages 4-8) by Kes Gray and Mary McQuillan a particularly touching bunny tale that emphasizes the bond between loving parents and their children, even when they don't look alike.

A rabbit who dreams of the high life is featured in "Lettice, the Flying Rabbit" (Simon & Schuster, $14.95, ages 3-8) by Mandy Stanley.

First she flaps her furry arms - and that doesn't work, but then she hears a strange humming sound. It's a bunny! It's a plane! It's a bunny in a plane!

The setting in "My World" (HarperCollins, $5.99, ages 1-4) will be familiar to many parents and young readers alike; it's a companion to "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd.

The story was first copyrighted in 1949, but a young rabbit's love for his swing, bubble bath, toy car and family resonate just as well now.

Wise Brown's fascination with bunnies - and her gift for storytelling - is equally evident in "The Golden Egg" (Golden Books, $8.99, ages 4-8). In the book, which features Leonard Weisgard's illustrations, a lonely brown bunny stands guard over a bright blue egg, imagining what could be inside. Is it boy? A mouse? An elephant?

He gets so tired thinking of all the possibilities, he falls asleep, and misses seeing a furry yellow duckling pop out. But when he does wake up, he finds comfort in knowing he'll never be lonely again.

Bunny complains there is too much dark at night in "A Night-Light for Bunny" (HarperCollins, $14.99, ages 3-6), but he learns that the light he craves doesn't necessarily need to be plugged in: The moon, the stars, a glow worm and street lights do the job, too.

Bunny finally settles into bed after author-illustrator Geoffrey Hayes gives him a light that makes shadows of ships on the wall.

"Sesame Street" is practically overrun by rabbits in "The Bunny Hop" (Random House, $4.99, ages baby-preschool) by Sarah Albee and illustrated by Maggie Swanson.

Dozens of bunnies who escape from Big Bird's basket find "unique" places to hide, such as under Grover's baseball cap and in Bert's closet, before they reunite to take place in the annual Easter parade.

Mary Engelbreit's homespun illustrations are the heart of "Baby Booky: Honey Bunny" (HarperCollins, $6.99, ages 1-4). The book reminds us in a dozen words that soft bunnies with little pink noses are soft and chocolate bunnies are yummy!

But to set the record straight, not all rabbits are thrilled that Easter is coming.

"The Grumpy Easter Bunny" (Scholastic, $3.50, ages 4-8) doesn't know why everyone thinks toiling all year long making chocolate eggs and filling marshmallow chicks is so great, especially when he then has to hide them for someone else to seek and eat.

Eating all the candy yourself, though, is no fun at all, which is just what the Lucinda McQueen-drawn star of Justine Korman's book finds out.

"Fuzzy Bunny" (Little Simon, $5.99, ages 1-4) by Salina Yoon is just that: a fuzzy bunny. It's a bunny-shaped book with a plush pink stuffed animal as its cover, making it a toy and a book - a book with candy-colored illustrations, including a sweet-looking carrot cake.

And this bunny has a pal in "Little Chick," a similarly squishy board book.

Other friends of the Easter Bunny have their own books this year, including:

• "Quacky Ducky's Easter Egg" (HarperCollins, $5.99, ages newborn-4) by Hans Wilhelm. Quacky picks the biggest, heaviest egg - and it's not filled with jellybeans.

• "Ruby in Her Own Time" (Scholastic, $15.95, ages 3-8) by Jonathan Emmett and illustrated by Rebecca Harry. Ruby, a slow-growing duck learns that learning to swim and fly are worth the wait.

• "The Easter Chick" (North-South Books, $15.95, ages 4-8) by Geraldine Elschner and illustrated by Alexandra Junge. Hilda the Hen has to figure out when exactly when Easter Sunday falls this year (March or April?) so that her holiday "gift" will arrive on time.