Posts
Teachable Moment
- Bunny Tails -
written by Emily of YarnMiracle
Rabbits have always been popular, endearing and persistent characters in story, folklore and legend. Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902, is one of the oldest examples of rabbits in leading roles in children's literature.
But there are more! A. A. Milne's Rabbit has his own Wikipedia page, Br'er Rabbit stars in American folklore (his predecessors appear repeatedly in world mythology so he is in excellent company as a champion trickster) and Lewis Carol's White Rabbit and March Hare are among the best known rabbits of all time. Tricksters or timid, leaders or shy, these fuzzy herbivores pop up in books for every age group. I've put together a (relatively) short reading list - if you have a winner not mentioned, please share it in the comments!
Picture Books
Bunny, my Honey by Anita Jeram - Bunny discovers just how much he needs his Mommy when he runs too far away.
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney - Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare compete to see who loves who more.
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler - P.J. Funnybunny is tired of being a bunny. So he experiments with the alternative lifestyles of bears, birds...skunks...
Not a Box by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - This bunny has a cardboard box that is anything but a box.
Little Bunny on the Move by Peter McCarty - Little Bunny stops for nothing, he has a place to go.
The Runaway Bunny by Margret Wise Brown - A classic. Little Bunny's mother will follow him anywhere.
No list is complete without Margery Williams' The Velveteen Rabbit. I won't even give this one a description, I might start crying.
(I am going to stop here with picture books - or it will be the longest post in EFA history. Incidentally, some of these are by my favorite authors - take a look to see what is shelved next to them.)
Chapter Books for Young Readers
The Stone Rabbit series by Erik Craddock follows a rabbit's journey when he falls through a hole in his bathroom and ends up in a prehistoric land. (Seriously, I couldn't make that up.)
Bunnicula is written by Deborah and James Howe. The sweet, fuzzy little bunny in this chapter book has a deep, dark secret. A secret of the pointy-toothed kind. But this vampire (since he *is* a vegetarian) only vamps vegetables. Happily, this one has a couple sequels!
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson follows the Rabbit family as they share adventures and hardships with the other Small Animals on the Hill.
Tales From Within The Rabbitry is the first in a short series by Jeanette Adams. A young lop-eared rabbit learns to believe in himself (and keep his ears down) while he works to compete for Best of Breed in a national show.
The One Even Grown-Ups Shouldn't Miss
If you haven't read Watership Down by Richard Adams, get thee to a library. This is one of the greatest adventure stories ever. My copy has pages falling out from all the rereading.
These are just a few to look for on your next library visit or trip to the book store! You'll be amazed at how many stories have rabbits in them. It just goes to show: everything is better with bunnies.
Such a beautiful article :) I loved reading it :)
ReplyDeleteLily
I have read many of these and so love them. With a new grandson now, I will be reading these again in a couple of years! These are the eternal bunnies!
ReplyDeleteI left out 'Goodnight, Moon!' It's not about bunnies, but the main characters are bunnies. Margaret Wise Brown must have had rabbits in her yard.
ReplyDeleteFabulous article, Emily... I'm off to send the link to my sister :)
ReplyDelete