SLIS 5420 Youth Literature -- Module 1 - The Runaway Bunny



Brown, M. (1972). The Runaway Bunny.
New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Summary:
Previously published in 1942--A bunny tells his mother he is going to runaway.  His mother tells him she will come after him.  The two have a drawn out conversation about the various places  the bunny will go or the character he will turn into to runaway from his mother.  His mother always responds with how she will seek him out with matching characterizations to locate the bunny and bring him home.


My Impression:
This classic provides a sweet, gentle story that adult will enjoy reading to a young child.  It shows the love of the mother rabbit towards her young child through the reassuring words that no matter where the bunny goes she will come and find him.  This is a must read for parent to read their young child.


Reviews:
The Runaway Bunny
Children's book review by P.J. Rooks

Ages 2+ The Runaway Bunny, written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd, is a sweet story that tells the tale of a little bunny's imaginative plans to run away. He will become a hidden crocus in a garden, a rock in a mountain and a fish, among other things. For each of these plans, however, his mother has a "foiled-again" response -- she will become a gardener, a mountain climber, a fisherman, etc.



There is no plan too wild or far-reaching that this little bunny's mother will not come searching for him -- truly a story of unconditional, all-reaching, all-surviving love.
In the end, the little bunny decides he can stick it out with Mom since trying to run away would just be a waste of his time anyway, so Mom offers him a carrot and the deal is done.
Rooks, P.J. (2012). The Runaway Bunny [Book Review]. Steve Barancik's Best Children's Books. http://www.best-childrens-books.com/runaway-bunny.html

Suggested Library Use:
This book could be used with Preschool students during a storytime followed by a discussion of how our parents protect us.