Knuffle Bunny
Author & Illustrator: Mo Willems
Publisher: Hyperion Book for Children
Year of Publication: 2004
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Horn Book or Kirkus Review rating: Rated 2 on Horn Book & a Kirkus Starred Review
Summary: This picture book is about a young girl who is not even old enough to talk but she tries to communicate with her dad after they go to the laundry mat. Trixie and her dad go to the laundry mat and she takes her precious Knuffle bunny with her and forgets it there. She tries to tell her dad that she forgot it there but she can't talk and her dad just understand what she is trying to say. Trixie's mom figures out what she is trying to say and asks a obvious question, Where is Knuffle Bunny? Trixie made sure her dad knew she wanted Knuffle Bunny back.
Summary of Professional Reviews: Knuffle Bunny is a book that received a high rating of 2 on Horn Book review. The review gives a brief summary of the book but provides great details about it in such a short paragraph. Horn Book states that the retro style illustrations compliment the simple yet satisfying story. A Kirkus starred review also is part of the review on CLCD.
Review by Sasha Ishak: Knuffle Bunny is an interesting, fun, and inviting story about Trixie losing her precious Knuffle bunny. Trixie struggles at telling her dad about Knuffle bunny because she cannot communicate with him. The use of black - and - white photography as well as bright colors of the characters allows for a readers full attention. Trixie’s facial expressions are just as dramatic and lively as a real child, making a reader giggle. The authors use of rhythmic, repetitive text is ideal for young readers. The photography looks like any real neighborhood that readers will recognize, while the bright colors and thick, black lines used for facial expression convey a sense of energy and dramatic emotion that is appropriate for a toddler losing her favorite toy. The use of space is also effective in conveying the energy of the family. Williams shows the family frantically trying to figure out what Trixie is trying to convey.
This book would be useful when teaching...
Knuffle Bunny can be used in mutliple ways in a classroom. Teachers can read this book to children as a weekly read aloud. It can be incorporated into a variety of lessons regarding emotions and communicating. After the teacher reads the story to the students she can talk about different emotions and what Trixie is feeling throughout the book. In the book Trixie portrays a variety of emotions while she is trying to tell her father about Knuffle Bunny. After discussing emotions portrayed in the book students can create their own ending to the story. This allows them to predict the future of the book. Teachers can have students create an alternate ending to the book using emotions they may be feeling the day the ending is created.
Another lesson that can go along with this book involves students creating their own speech bubbles just like in the book. The teacher can find the page at the center of the book that shows Trixie motioning back to the laundromat. This page features three speech bubbles above Trixie. The teacher can make a copy of this page, and white out the text within the bubbles. After this each student can get a copy of this page and create their own speech bubbles. After copying the page before having students create their own the teacher can discuss with the class what Trixie means by her bubbles. Make sure so have alphabet charts available for students to refer to when sounding out words. When all of the students are done writing, have them share their work with their peers.
Publisher: Hyperion Book for Children
Year of Publication: 2004
Genre: Fiction Picture Book
Horn Book or Kirkus Review rating: Rated 2 on Horn Book & a Kirkus Starred Review
Summary: This picture book is about a young girl who is not even old enough to talk but she tries to communicate with her dad after they go to the laundry mat. Trixie and her dad go to the laundry mat and she takes her precious Knuffle bunny with her and forgets it there. She tries to tell her dad that she forgot it there but she can't talk and her dad just understand what she is trying to say. Trixie's mom figures out what she is trying to say and asks a obvious question, Where is Knuffle Bunny? Trixie made sure her dad knew she wanted Knuffle Bunny back.
Summary of Professional Reviews: Knuffle Bunny is a book that received a high rating of 2 on Horn Book review. The review gives a brief summary of the book but provides great details about it in such a short paragraph. Horn Book states that the retro style illustrations compliment the simple yet satisfying story. A Kirkus starred review also is part of the review on CLCD.
Review by Sasha Ishak: Knuffle Bunny is an interesting, fun, and inviting story about Trixie losing her precious Knuffle bunny. Trixie struggles at telling her dad about Knuffle bunny because she cannot communicate with him. The use of black - and - white photography as well as bright colors of the characters allows for a readers full attention. Trixie’s facial expressions are just as dramatic and lively as a real child, making a reader giggle. The authors use of rhythmic, repetitive text is ideal for young readers. The photography looks like any real neighborhood that readers will recognize, while the bright colors and thick, black lines used for facial expression convey a sense of energy and dramatic emotion that is appropriate for a toddler losing her favorite toy. The use of space is also effective in conveying the energy of the family. Williams shows the family frantically trying to figure out what Trixie is trying to convey.
This book would be useful when teaching...
Knuffle Bunny can be used in mutliple ways in a classroom. Teachers can read this book to children as a weekly read aloud. It can be incorporated into a variety of lessons regarding emotions and communicating. After the teacher reads the story to the students she can talk about different emotions and what Trixie is feeling throughout the book. In the book Trixie portrays a variety of emotions while she is trying to tell her father about Knuffle Bunny. After discussing emotions portrayed in the book students can create their own ending to the story. This allows them to predict the future of the book. Teachers can have students create an alternate ending to the book using emotions they may be feeling the day the ending is created.
Another lesson that can go along with this book involves students creating their own speech bubbles just like in the book. The teacher can find the page at the center of the book that shows Trixie motioning back to the laundromat. This page features three speech bubbles above Trixie. The teacher can make a copy of this page, and white out the text within the bubbles. After this each student can get a copy of this page and create their own speech bubbles. After copying the page before having students create their own the teacher can discuss with the class what Trixie means by her bubbles. Make sure so have alphabet charts available for students to refer to when sounding out words. When all of the students are done writing, have them share their work with their peers.