A frog, a rabbit and a robot walk into an antique shop.

As they rummage through the rubble of a bygone era, they discover an Aladdin’s lamp.

“Rub it” says the Rabbit. “Rub it” says the Robot. The amphibian acquiesces and buffs the brass vessel, the massage releasing a genie with a message.

The rapacious rodent, reminiscent of the hubris of the hasty hare who challenged the tortoise in another fabled tale, and the impatient mechanical descend into a frenzy of wish fulfilment that has surreal ramifications for the robbing robot and the grasping bunny.

RIBBIT RABBIT ROBOT is a magically robust and hilarious tale about no good deed sprouts from greed and the importance of paying attention.

Victoria Mackinlay’s text adorned by Sofya Karmazina’s illustrations deliver a highly entertaining lesson in always reading the fine print and being careful what you wish for.

The fiction is a fantasia of phonetics and the illustrations an Aladdin’s cave of detail and quirk, a playful partnership between the word and the picture that is totally complimentary.

Suitable to be read to humans of any age and readers from four years plus, RIBBIT RABBIT ROBOT should be a welcome addition to any child’s library.

RIBBIT RABBIT ROBOT by Victoria Mackinlay, illustrated by Sofya Karmazina is published by Scholastic