Knuffle Bunny

Bibliography

Willems, Mo. 2004. Knuffle Bunny. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786818700

Plot Summary

Trixie, Knuffle Bunny, and Dad wind through the streets of Brooklyn as they make their way to the Laundromat. All is well until it is time to leave, and Trixie discovers that her treasured Knuffle Bunny is missing. When she tries to communicate her woes, Trixie’s father mistakes her baby babbles for mindless chatter. When they arrive home, Trixie’s mother immediately knows what is wrong—Knuffle Bunny is missing! After a frantic search, Knuffle Bunny is recovered, and Trixie speaks her first words, “Knuffle Bunny.”

Critical Analysis

The most memorable feature of this book is the unusual illustrations; Mo Willems has used real black and white pictures of Brooklyn, his hometown, as the backdrop for the cartoon-illustrated characters. The juxtaposition between characters drawn in cartoon-style and real photos is an almost three-dimensional, eye-popping delight.

Children will be able to relate to Trixie as she loses her beloved Knuffle Bunny; stories of lost and found binkies and blankies will certainly follow a reading of this book! Mo Willems has made a delightfully illustrated book with a storyline that parents and children can all relate to!

Review Excerpts

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1–Trixie steps lively as she goes on an errand with her daddy, down the block, through the park, past the school, to the Laundromat. For the toddler, loading and putting money into the machine invoke wide-eyed pleasure. But, on the return home, she realizes something. Readers will know immediately that her stuffed bunny has been left behind but try as she might, (in hilarious gibberish), she cannot get her father to understand her problem. Despite his plea of "please don't get fussy," she gives it her all, bawling and going "boneless." They both arrive home unhappy. Mom immediately sees that "Knuffle Bunny" is missing and so it's back to the Laundromat they go. After several tries, dad finds the toy among the wet laundry and reclaims hero status. Yet, this is not simply a lost-and-found tale. The toddler exuberantly exclaims, "Knuffle Bunny!!!" "And those were the first words Trixie ever said." The concise, deftly told narrative becomes the perfect springboard for the pictures. They, in turn, augment the story's emotional acuity. Printed on olive-green backdrops, the illustrations are a combination of muted, sepia-toned photographs upon which bright cartoon drawings of people have been superimposed. 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.–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI

From Booklist
*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 1. 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. On a father-daughter trip to the Laundromat, before toddler Trixie "could even speak words," Daddy distractedly tosses her favorite stuffed bunny into the wash. Unfortunately, Trixie's desperate cries ("aggle flaggle klabble") come across as meaningless baby talk, so she pitches a fit until perceptive Mommy and abashed Daddy sprint back to retrieve the toy. Willems chronicles this domestic drama with pitch-perfect text and illustrations that boldly depart from the spare formula of his previous books. Sepia-tone photographs of a Brooklyn neighborhood provide the backdrops for his hand-drawn artwork, intensifying the humor of the gleefully stylized characters--especially Trixie herself, who effectively registers all the universal signs of toddler distress, from the first quavery grimace to the uncooperative, "boneless" stage to the googly-eyed, gape-mouthed crisis point. 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. Jennifer Mattson

Review accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Knuffle-Bunny-Cautionary-Mo-Willems/dp/1844280594/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-4742085-1377769?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189472995&sr=8-1

Connections

Willems, Mo. 2004. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Walker Books Ltd. 1844280136

Willems, Mo. 2005. The Pigeon has Feelings, Too. New York, NY: Hyperion Books. 0786836504