Knuffle Bunny By: Mo Willems

Bibliography
Willems, Mo. 2004. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. By Mo Willems. New York, NY: Hyperion Books For Children. ISBN 078681870

Plot Summary
A toddler girl named Trixie, who does not yet speak, goes to help her daddy at the Laundromat. The trip is full of fun and adventure until Trixie realizes that her favorite stuffed bunny is nowhere to be found. The reader sees Trixie’s inability to express her predicament. Trixie’s parents go through an intense search for the Knuffle Bunny, which is eventually found, leading Trixie to speak her first words.

Critical Analysis
Readers, both young and old, can enjoy and connect with this book. The black and white photos throughout the book can connect with parents who may have lived in similar looking neighborhoods. While appealing to adults, the bright and bold overlay of the human characters grab the attention of children. Trixie's facial expressions alone, could tell the story. We can see how the emotions progressed throughout the day, as particular events were happening to Trixie. Losing a beloved toy is something that children can relate to. Recovering that missing toy can evoke so much happiness in a child, that they may even utter their first words, like Trixie did.

Review Excerpts
Publishers Weekly: Willems renders the characters with Little Lulu-style pointed noses and their expressions are laugh-out-loud funny, from the hapless father's worried look as he and Trixie venture out to the Laundromat, to his roll-up-your-sleeves determination as he rescues the stuffed toy from the washing machine.

Booklist: “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

Connections
Children will be able to relate their own experiences to Trixie’s. Children can understand the feelings that the illustrations depicted throughout the book. Adults will also remember if they had a toy like the Knuffle Bunny when they were young.
Other books by this author that are recommended:
*Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems ISBN 1423102991
*Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems ISBN 078681988
*The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! by Mo Willems ISBN 0786836504