Synopsis:
The book begins with the little bunny informing his mother bunny that he is running away. He tells her all of the things he will turn into so she can't bring him home (such as a sailboat to sail away), and his mother tells the little bunny the things she will turn into so he won't run away (such as the wind to blow the sailboat wherever she wishes). The book ends with the little bunny deciding it would be better to just stay home with his mother bunny.
My Evaluation:
The Runaway Bunny is, in my mind, lesser known than her wildly popular book Goodnight Moon. It is, however, written in a similar style with the repetitive nature of the writing (if you become this, I will become this, etc.). Nevertheless, it is a book that I feel both children and adults would enjoy. I think children would enjoy the fun idea of turning into other things like a sailboat, or a fish, or joining a circus as a trapeze artist. The pictures are lovely, vivid, and would really capture children. Mothers can relate to this story well because the mother bunny is one of the central characters, and she personifies many of the characteristics of motherhood - protection, love, and the willingness to do anything to keep their child safe. I feel that this book could be used as a teaching opportunity for a mother to her child to show that the child is safe and loved. I would highly recommend that you pick it up.
Reviews:
Bird, E. (2009). Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2009/04/07/top-100-picture-books-poll-results-75-71/.
#73: Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (1942)
18 points (4 votes)
Touching story without being too sentimental. – Crystal Barringer
And isn’t security so important? There’s good reason children tuck themselves right into a parent’s arms when they read this story. – Jean Reidy
When Michael Rex began parodying classic children’s literature with his own books, the first title he chose to make fun of was Goodnight Moonby Margaret Wise Brown. Goodnight Goon has been quite the bestseller, and he’s now following it up with none other than Runaway Mummy. A play on? You guessed it.
Runaway Bunny constitutes yet another divisive children’s title. Many people (most?) would say that it’s a sweet and comforting tale of a parent’s unconditional and eternal love for their child. But there is a segment of the population that finds the book disturbing. Some feel that the bunny is honestly trying to make a break for freedom, but that its mother is preventing this escape, and crushing its spirit. The book can be read a number of different ways, but generally it’s still a very well regarded picture book title.
Said Bethany Miller Cole of Children’s Literature about the book, "Clement Hurd’s black and white and colorful, dream-like illustrations grace spreads throughout the book, bringing to life perfectly the imagination of the young and the depth of love a parent has for a child. Children and the adults who love them will treasure this story."
Rooks, P.J. The Runaway Bunny. Best Children's Books. Retrieved from
The Runaway Bunny
Children's book review by P.J. Rooks
Children's book review by P.J. Rooks
Ages 2+
The Runaway Bunny, written by Margaret Wise Brown (most famous for Goodnight Moon) 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.
Runaway Bunny is not the sort of book that I would probably have picked up on my own. It was recommended by Edward Hallowell in his book The Childhood Roots of Happiness.
Webmaster's note: I think any book we're still talking about 66 years after publication has received classic children's literature status.
There is a similar story, this one a little less sweet but a bit more fun, about Baby Boo Boo, a little mouse who has a problem with his birth status among the meek and mild. Big Bad Bunny, written by Franny Billingsley and illustrated by G. Brian Karas, is another cute adventure in maternal love.
My Suggestions for Use in a Library Setting:
I think it often happens that an author is well known for one book, and many of their other books, which may be outstanding, are passed over. I would have a different featured author every week in the library that we would celebrate. In this case, I would use Margaret Wise Brown (famous for Goodnight Moon) and feature her other books including The Runaway Bunny, The Sleepy Little Lion, The Color Kittens, etc.
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