Picture Books Review #1 : Mo Willems - KNUFFLE BUNNY

Genre # 1 :
Picture Books

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Willems, Mo. 2004. KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 078681870-0

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this very comical picture book, the plot deals with one young girl’s frustration with losing her favourite bunny at the local laundromat. She is too young and cannot use words yet, but tries to convey to her father through babbling and ultimately her full fledged tantrum, the very real message of worry, loss and anxiety over leaving her favourite toy bunny behind.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Willems captures the essence of different feelings and emotions with his illustrations through his unique style; he uses real life backgrounds and mixes in his illustrations ingeniously. The words are easily read and understood, but one can understand the heart of the story through his wonderful drawings. He understands children and the importance they place on a favourite stuffed friend - and what would happen if they ever misplaced or LOST that friend!

The plot is a simple one, however it is one that every child has probably experienced at one time or another. Through his characters’ facial expressions and posture, he covers a wide range of emotions: happy, joyful, cheerful, sad, scared, annoyed, irritated, frustrated, anxious, nervous, uneasy, fretful, apprehensive, and then relieved and comforted.

Mo Willems’s style of illustration, as I have mentioned before, is unique. He uses black and white photos, (almost sepia coloured) for his backgrounds, which are taken from around his New York neighbourhood. He then places his colourful illustrations on top of them. According to Mo Willems’ book, Knuffle Bunny, it states, “The images in this book are a melding of hand-drawn ink sketches and digital photography in a computer (where the sketches were colored and shaded, the photographs given their sepia tones, and sundry air conditioners, garbage cans, and industrial debris expunged!)”

The characters in the book interact with the backgrounds and props wonderfully! But the way that Mo Willems captures the emotions through his characters’ facial expresions - eyes, mouths, movements and postures are truly amazing! He also incorporates diversity into his stories by adding background characters that reflect different ages as well as different races.

This is a wonderful book to share with a child of any age! Even my middle-school-aged and high-school-aged daughters enjoyed it! It is great for a read aloud or even a silent sustained reading activity time. I can see this book being a favourite of many for years to come! I know it is one of mine!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

KNUFFLE BUNNY is a Caldecott Honor Book.

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Top 10 of the Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results (#10) - A brilliant and distinguished collaboration" On its Website, the School Library Journal states the following:

• The starred Booklist review (which is more than a little excellent) by Jennifer Mattson said, "This comic gem proves that Caldecott Medal-winner Willems, the Dr. Spock and Robin Williams of the lap-sit crowd, has just as clear a bead on pre-verbal children as on silver-tongued preschoolers . . . Even children who can already talk a blue streak will come away satisfied that their own strong emotions have been mirrored and legitimized, and readers of all ages will recognize the agonizing frustration of a little girl who knows far more than she can articulate."

• Said Horn Book, “There’s plenty here for kids to embrace. There are playful illustrations and a simple, satisfying story. This everyday drama will immediately register with even pre-verbal listeners.”

• The starred review from SLJ said of it, “Personalities are artfully created so that both parents and children will recognize themselves within these pages. A seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text.”

5. CONNECTIONS

* Mo Willems has many other children’s books; from his PIDGEON series to his early reader series ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE books to many others. According to Wikipedia, his ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal in 2008 and 2009.

* His illustrations alone can tell the story in most of his books; and are great for beginning readers, English-language learners and children who are just beginning to talk.

* Listed below is another fun book - after KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE is the follow up book for children from Mo Willems:

Willems, Mo. 2007. KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN-10: 142310299-1 / ISBN-13: 978-142310299-1