Book Description
for Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley and G. Brian Karas
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Try to imagine Peter Rabbit meets Friday the 13th , and you may just get The Big Bad Bunny . Mama Mouse tucks her babies into soft beds inside a cozy tree stump, while outside (i.e., the opposite page) looms the Big Bad Bunny. He has long sharp claws and pointy yellow teeth, and he’s coming to get YOU. Meanwhile, Mama, oblivious to the threat, kisses Little Tippy, Little Flurry, and Little Baby Boo-Boo—but what’s this? Baby Boo-Boo is missing! Mama runs into the forest to search for her baby and eventually finds him, wearing fake bunny ears and a fake cotton tail, playing the role of the Big Bad Bunny. Boo-Boo continues the role all the way home. Where Mama pitter-pats , he CRASHES; where Mama splishes across a stream, he KA-SPLOSHES . By the time Mama tucks Boo-Boo into bed, his imaginary game has ended, although Mama acknowledges the power of play by saying good-night to Big Bad Bunny. The dual narrative makes this a more complex picture story than one usually finds for this age group, and it may be challenging to read aloud. But children who are fans of ferocious creatures, especially creatures tucked safely within the pages of a book, will no doubt want this story again and again, so adult readers will get plenty of practice. (Ages 3–6)
CCBC Choices 2009. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2009. Used with permission.