Tale of Benjamin Bunny

Beatrix Potter. Frederick Warne 1932, Hardcover, $1.75

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is probably the second best-known of Beatrix Potter’s wonderful rabbit stories.  In this one, naughty Peter Rabbit and his cousin Benjamin again sneak into Mr. MacGregor’s garden and get themselves into dangerous trouble with the cat.  They are rescued by Benjamin’s father.  Beautifully illustrated, this classic story has been loved for good reason.  The cat is dangerous, the bunnies foolish and lovable, the father heroic and brave, and the warm home scene allows the reader a sigh of relief at the end.

An audio recording of this story is available for free download at librivox.org.

Goodnight Moon

Clement Hurd (Illustrator). HarperFestival 1991, Board book, 30 pages, $4.50

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Goodnight Moon is an apparently simple bedtime book whose appeal has endured for over sixty years.  In it, a small rabbit delays bedtime by saying goodnight to all the objects in his room.  The text is soothingly rhythmic, and the well-conceived artwork depicts the same bedroom from different perspectives in two-page colored spreads, alternating with close-up pictures of individual objects in shades of gray.  As the bunny slowly subsides into bed and sleep, the light in the room dims until shapes are nearly imperceptible.  This warm and comforting story traces the emotional transition of a young child from active relationship to restful solitude, all in the context of a stable and secure home emblemized by the unchanging objects in the room.  A wonderful book.

The Runaway Bunny

Clement Hurd (Illustrator). HarperCollins 1977, Paperback, 48 pages, $2.90

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a delightfully comforting story of a little bunny who decides to run away from his mother.  When she informs him that she intends to follow him, he invents many imaginary scenes in which he is transformed into something else and escapes.  His mother enters each scene to complete it with an image of reunification: she becomes a fisherman to catch her trout, a gardener to find the hidden crocus in a garden, a tree for the bird to fly home to, and so on.  The illustrations change pleasingly page-to-page so that the imaginary scenes are in color, and the dialogue in black-and-white.  Children who have enjoyed Goodnight Moon will recognize an intertextual allusion when the bunny pretends to be a little boy running into a house, and this will add to their pleasure in the story.

This book playfully and gently underscores the unconditional love children ought to expect from their parents, and echoes God’s own relentless pursuit of human souls to be included in His household (Psalm 139:7-12; Ephesians 1:4-6).  It is an essential addition to any child’s library, but may be especially well suited for children who who experience anxiety about their place in the family — siblings of a new addition to the family, new adoptees, or children who have experienced trauma.

Although it is available in board book format, it may be best appreciated by children who are old enough to enter into focused imaginary play — about age two or three.  But even the youngest pre-readers will be able to enjoy finding the bunny in every page.