Knuffle Bunny Too

Title: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Author/Illustrator: Willems, Mo

Publisher and Date: Hyperion Books for Children, 2007

Genre: Picture Book

Age Range: K and up

2008 Caldecott Honor Book

Summary:

The story begins with a young girl named Trixie who is on her way to school. Trixie is especially excited about school toady because she gets to show off her one of a kind knuffle bunny to the class. When she arrives at school however, she realizes that another girl, Sonja, has a knuffle bunny too. The girls spend the day arguing and eventually get their knuffle bunnies taken away. When the knuffle bunnies are returned to the girls, they are accidentally switched! The girls both discover the mistake in the middle of the night and meet to return the bunnies. They decide to become best friends and the next day at school they cannot wait to share their knuffle bunnies with each other.

Response:

This is such a cute story with such a great message. In elementary school a child's worst fear is showing up at school with the same show and tell toy as another child; In middle and high school the fear changes to showing up at school in the same outfit (at least for girls). We want to be seen as individuals and we do not want to have to share any part of our identity with others. I think Mo Willems did a great job of capturing this side of children. He also does a great job at of showing children that it is ok to have the same toy or the same outfit as someone else. These similarities are what can make us closer to one another; in the story Trixie and Sonja's mutual love of knuffle bunnies led them to be best friends. I also think it is great that Mo Willems portrays the parents of Trixie and Sonja in such a positive light; these parents are willing to wake up at 2:30 am to exchange knuffle bunnies! Parents often do not realize how much something like this means to a child.

The illustrations in the book were captivating. They were quite different from anything that I have ever seen in a picture book. The media used was Sepia photographs combined with hand drawn ink sketches shaded digitally. These illustrations gave the book a unique touch. The real photographs helped to remind the readers that this book is based on a true story, and the hand drawn sketches added an element of humor that often had me cracking up as I turned the pages.

Teaching Ideas:

I really liked this book and I cannot wait to read it to my class one day! This would be a good book to read to K-2nd graders before their first show and tell day to introduce the concept of sharing and how to be a good friend.It would also just be a fun book to read out loud with your kids at the end of the day to help them unwind. I know that I thoroughly enjoyed Trixie's faces and antics!

*Do not forget to check out the prequel to Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity.....Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale!*