Knuffle Bunny

Bibliography:
Willems, Mo. 2004. KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE. New York, New York: Hyperion. ISBN 0786818700

Plot Summary:
Trixie and her parents live in the city. One day Trixie and her father walk through the city to do some laundry and Trixie misplaces her stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny. Unable to tell her father what has happened (Trixie cannot speak yet), she shows him her distress by becoming unraveled. They walk all the way back home, where Trixie's mother asks about Knuffle Bunny. The family rushes back to the laundromat where Trixie and Knuffle Bunny are happily reunited and Trixie says her first words.

Critical Analysis:
Different from the regular picture book, Willems uses a combination of photography and illustrations to display the events of the story. The plot flows in a format where the young reader can identify the problem and watch the resolution/outcome. This is a story that many children and parents can relate to: children may have lost something very important to them or may have been unable to express themselves and parents cannot always understand for what their children are asking.

Many of the images within the story are ones with which children can place themselves in; walking through the park or going on a errand with a parent is customary in many children's lives. The use of photography as a background can be especially helpful for children to grasp the plot due to its realistic nature.

Awards Won:
Caldecott Award Winner, 2005
BCCB Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award
Parenting Media Award Winner

"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, Booklist

"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, School Library Journal

Connections:
*Photographs could be taken of the area around the library or school, similar to the photographs in KNUFFLE BUNNY. Children can make construction paper cutouts of themselves and family members and use the photos and cutouts to recount or create their own story.
*Allow the children to tell there own story about a lost item! Let the children create their own book about something they lost, in any media they would like (drawing, collages, etc).
*Try non-verbal communication: Trixie found it difficult to communicate without words, so give the kids a task in which they are unable to use regular means of communication. After the task is complete, review what they did and talk about what was a good idea and what could be improved upon.

More books by Mo Willems:

KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY
DON'T LET THE PIGEON STAY UP LATE!
THE PIGEON FINDS A HOT DOG!

BOOK JACKET FOUND ON: http://www.betterworldbooks.com/Knuffle-Bunny-id-0786818700.aspx