The Runaway Bunny

by Margaret Wise Brown

Other authorsClement Hurd (Illustrator)
Board book, 1991

Status

Available

Publication

HarperFestival (1991), Edition: Brdbk Sub, 34 pages

Description

A little rabbit who wants to run away tells his mother how he will escape, but she is always right behind him.

User reviews

LibraryThing member BenjaminHahn
If my kid ever runs away this much, I'm going to be doing a bit of self critiquing to figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong.
LibraryThing member rosinalippi
This is a scary little book. It's almost impossible for an adult not to see the allegory (you can't escape God, he knows all, his will trumps yours). If that's not your worldview, you might be uncomfortable with this book. When I read it to the Girlchild, I always changed the text slightly to give
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the poor little bunny a chance at free will.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
A picture book by the classic author, Margaret Wise Brown, being not so popular as her Good Night Moon, but full of the same warm charm. In this story, a baby bunny asks his mom what she would do if he ran away from her. Her answer - that she would chase after and find him - is not satisfactory, so
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he begins elaborating on his getaways, going further, hiding better, and even transforming himself into other objects. In each case, the clever mother devises a strategy that will allow her to reunite with her precious child. At last, satisfied that his mother is there to stay, the little bunny realizes that he only has one place to go for now ... home. The delicately detailed illustrations are as integral to the book as the text. After each question and answer, the next two-page spread is a large picture that brings to vivid life their hypothetical situation. The colors are soft, with soothing blues and greens, and the white bunnies are easy to find. The beautiful illustrations complement this book in theme and subject.

I miss the lyricism of Good Night Moon, but the writing is still tight. The author allows the reader to infer and interpret. For instance, why does the bunny want to run away? We can assume that he is upset with his mother, as children so often are, but also the idea of a child's independence is woven throughout. At this age, children are still tied to their parents, but in the future, they will be moving further away, and this bittersweet refrain is a subtle subtext in the story. More powerful is the idea of a mother's protection, and her insistent love that never stops. Also, that the mother will always be there for the child, no matter what paths he may take. As the game continues, the reader gets the sense that the bunny is not angry anymore, and is enjoying this give-and-take exchange. Clearly, by the end of their dialogue, the bunny is happy and relieved that his mother will never leave him, or let him leave her. The story itself is quite simple, though, allowing young readers to easily enjoy it, while these deeper meanings seep through the words and the pictures. This is a wonderful picture book to read aloud to your children, one that conveys imagination and reassurance.
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LibraryThing member missamellon
There is a tension in children between needing to be looked after and wanting to be free. This tension is explored in a story about a little bunny who says he will run away. His mother has very creative answers that seem to satisfy him for the moment.
LibraryThing member rachel0217
This is a sweet story about a mother's love for her child. When the baby bunny wants to get away, the mother will go to great links to get her child.
LibraryThing member dchaves
I do like some Margaret Wise Brown books - really I do. I see the two-year old walking away from mother and trying to find their own experiences in the world. But I hate the subtle manipulation of this book. It makes me feel kinda creepy. I think I just must suffer of oppositional defiant syndrome.
LibraryThing member yarb
Argh. Something a little creepy in mother bunny's inexorable pursuit of her offspring. If you love something, let it go! Cute but limited once you get beyond that. Good for kids who are feeling insecure, I suppose. Extra half star for the amusing ending.
LibraryThing member eecnelsen
I love this story. It made me cry. The book is so true to a mothers love for her child. He asks about running away and the mother has a whitty answer about how she will still be there. I loved vivid the pictures of him running away to her.
LibraryThing member conuly
This is a type of story that has been told almost as long as there have been storytellers, except that this story is (uniquely?) suitable for preschoolers and babies.

The little bunny declares he'll run away for no other reason than because he can say such a thing. At that age, children say all
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sorts of silly things, but they really still want their parents to run after them and hug them - which is what the mama bunny here does.
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LibraryThing member meallen1
This is a really sweet story about a little buny whi told his mother he was going to run away from home and his mom told him that she would run after him no matter what.
LibraryThing member jhsmith
This book would be good for ages k-2nd grade. It might be fun to read while learning about bunnies.
LibraryThing member Anna-KateSisson
A little bunny wants to run away from home. His mother tells him that she will chase him wherever he goes. The bunny tells her different ways that he would escape from her and she comes up with a way to find him. In the end, he decides he is better off staying where he is and being her little bunny.
LibraryThing member msequeira06
Little bunny wants to run away and informs his mother of his plans. The bunny continues on by explaining all different places he will go to run away. She says she will follow her bunny wherever he goes because she loves him so much. In the end, he decides to stay home. Genre: Fantasy because it is
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personifying rabbits. Other than the animal aspect, the topic of discussion is very applicable to young children. The little rabbit is a round character because his every idea and plan is made known. He grows throughout the story by finally understanding he should not run away. Media: pencil, acrylic paints
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LibraryThing member kyoder06
Age Appropriateness: Primary
Media: Pen and Ink
Genre: Modern Fantasy

This is an obvious modern fantasy story since we see the bunnies talking English to one another. The little bunny also talks about turning into things like a trout, a rock and a bird. The characters are relatable because we see a
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mother and child interacting. The readers would be able to connect with the love they are shown from people in their own lives. While there are fictional elements, the setting is realistic. The illustrations show us the bunny in places like a field, mountains and back in his home under the ground.
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LibraryThing member katitefft
Runaway Bunny is a sweet modern fantasy story about the human-like relationship between a mother bunny and a little boy bunny. In this story, the little boy bunny comes up with a variety of ways in which he will run away from his mother. The mother, though, reminds her little boy bunny that she
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will always love him and be with him. The plot of this story is not at all complicated, but the pattern of "If...then..." exchanges between the little bunny and his mother engages readers. The plot is also circular, in that it begins and ends at the bunnies' home.
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LibraryThing member sgialibrary
Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. But no matter how or where he decided to go, his mother was always there-for she loved her little bunny very much.
LibraryThing member aswideman
Runaway Bunny shows children that parents are always there for them. They truly care about them.
LibraryThing member Lakapp
"The Runaway Bunny" written by Margaret Wise Brown is a great story about love between a young bunny and his mother. The young bunny tells his mother that he is going to run away. His mother says she will never let him go no matter what he does. The bunny says he will do various things if his
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mother decides to come after him. The bunny says he will become a fisherman, a rock, and a gardener; these claims lead to many great illustrations that children will love. I would read this story to Kindergarten to Third grade students.
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LibraryThing member skpuckett
This book depicts a mother's love for her child. It combines beautiful pictures with simple text. One of the pictures references Goodnight Moon, and children would enjoy that if they have read Goodnight Moon.
LibraryThing member katiejanelewis
This imaginative story is told through the eyes of a little bunny who is desperately trying to run away from his mother. He comes up with creative ways to "escape" her, but she can always be more creative and more imaginative and always finds ways to find him. In the end, the little bunny realizes
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that his mother will never let him run away and he decides to stay where he is and be her little bunny.
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LibraryThing member JHamm
Like the title says, this story is about a little bunny who is thinking about running away. His mother keeps reminding him that he will be missed too much if he runs away and she will keep looking for him always. It shows the love that people have for each other.
LibraryThing member rvangent
This is a good example of modern fantasy because it includes bunnies that talk to each other and express human emotions. It is also fantasy because in the dialogue, we see the bunnies using their imaginations to think up creative situations using both imagination and reason in ways that animals
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cannot. The story begins with a little bunny who wants to run away from his mother and he tells her that. The mother responds by saying that she would run after him because he is her little bunny. Then the little bunny used his imagination to think of ways to get away from his mother, but the mother always comes back with a way to get the little bunny back. In this way, the plot is an example of repitition as this theme repeats throughout the middle of the book. After all of the examples, the little bunny realizes that he might as well stay a little bunny and not run away and so the conflict is resolved and they are happy together again. The illustrations are unique in that they are pen and ink and in black and white on the pages with the words on them and then after each scenario, there is a full page of just the pictures of the scenario in watercolor.
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LibraryThing member mstuhan
Probably best reserved for the home read-aloud -- possibly a good one to reccommend to parents.
LibraryThing member cpage_07
My grandmother bought me this book when I was two years old. I found it at her house and it's funny to see that I am twenty years old now. This book is so sweet because the mother bunny cares so much for the baby bunny. The baby bunny is telling her how he wants to run away but the mother tells him
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that she will go the distance to find him. He ends up staying with is mother when the book ends.
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LibraryThing member bspentecost
The bunny in this book wants to run away. His mother tells him that she will be there no matter where he goes or what he becomes. He sees that his mother is never going to give up on him so he decides to just be content with being her bunny. This is a very sweet story and I would do this for a read
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aloud in my class. I would only do it for kindergarten and 1st grade. Sine the story is about a bunny I think it would be a good idea to do it around Easter.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1942

Physical description

34 p.; 5.88 inches

ISBN

0061074292 / 9780061074295

Barcode

6294

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