Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!

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Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!

by Polly Horvath, Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 586 ratings · 217 reviews

"National Book Award-winner Polly Horvath's latest, a rabbity romp complete with whimsical illustrations and a quirky cast of characters, has both the look and feel of a classic children's book," raves The Washington Post.

In this hilarious chapter book mystery, meet a girl whose parents have been kidnapped by disreputable foxes, and a pair of detectives that also happen to...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published February 14th 2012 by Schwartz & Wade, Random House Children's Books

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Lists with This Book

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Newbery 2013

74th out of 137 books — 675 voters

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath

Freddy the Detective by Walter R. Brooks

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

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1st out of 7 books — 2 voters

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Community Reviews

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Mar 27, 2012 Rachael Stein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mock-newbery-2013

Ursula K. Le Guin recently wrote an excellent post about literary awards. The whole thing is thoughtful and thought-provoking, but this passage in particular caught my eye:

"I wish we gave literary prizes freely, the way they used to give prizes at the Pet Show at Codornices Park in Berkeley when I was a kid. Every kid in the neighborhood brought their pet, and every pet got a prize, an ad hoc, unique prize: for Soulfulness — for Loud Meowing — for Unusual Spot Placement — for Being the Only Skin...more Ursula K. Le Guin recently wrote an excellent post about literary awards. The whole thing is thoughtful and thought-provoking, but this passage in particular caught my eye:

"I wish we gave literary prizes freely, the way they used to give prizes at the Pet Show at Codornices Park in Berkeley when I was a kid. Every kid in the neighborhood brought their pet, and every pet got a prize, an ad hoc, unique prize: for Soulfulness — for Loud Meowing — for Unusual Spot Placement — for Being the Only Skink…. There was no Best of Breed (in those days there were many mongrels and few breeds), and certainly no Best of Show."

I very much doubt that Mr. and Mrs. Bunny is going to win the Newbery Medal (though I could be wrong - I used to think there was an upper limit for Newbery weirdness, but then a little book about funeral homes, Hell's Angels, and homicidal octogenarians made the cut). If there were a literary equivalent of Being the Only Skink, though, Polly Horvath would have it in the bag.

And that gets at the heart of my ambivalence about literary awards. I disagree with Le Guin when she says that in "declaring a book as `the best,' a literary award serves that book. It does not serve literature." When Frederic Melcher and the Children's Librarians' Section created the Newbery award, their explicit intent was "to encourage original creative work in the field of books for children." To that end, I think it has met its goal. It has encouraged excellence in writing (and publishing) for children by rewarding excellence in writing for children (with prestige and increased sales).

In that sense, maybe literary awards are most effective within ghettoized genres. If no one believes there's such a thing as aesthetic greatness within children's literature (or science fiction, or romance), the establishment of an award can create a change in perception on the part of both publishers and readers.

On the other hand, this is the age of shrinking shelf space and vanishing bookstores. Awards encourage publishers to give riskier titles a chance in the first place, but if they don't garner the Big One, how long do the books stay in print? There will always be a place on the library's shelves for Polly Horvath, but she'll be in and out of Barnes & Noble in the space of a month, if they ever stock her at all. I guess we'd better hold on to our libraries and our children's librarians: loyal defenders of Only Skinks and other oddities.

But I digress. A lot.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny is really freaking weird, even for Polly Horvath. The fact that she is listed, on the cover, as having translated the book "from the Rabbit" should tip you off. The plot, such as it is, concerns a sensible little girl whose hippie parents have been kidnapped by some evil foxes (who also own Fox Entertainment, naturally). She enlists the help of Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who have very recently taken up detective work, mostly as an excuse to wear fedoras.

I described Polly Horvath to Sam as "Daniel Pinkwater meets Kate DiCamillo," but this one obviously has a pinch of Beatrix Potter, and possibly Kenneth Grahame, thrown in. It's hilarious, surreal, and good-natured (with a touch of bite). I will also note that it's so, so nice to see a woman writing unabashedly in the darkly humorous vein. We need more of that.

Sophie Blackall's illustrations complement the text perfectly. They make me want to buy an illustration from her etsy shop. I do worry, though, that the cute bunnies on the cover will put off the weird little boys who will otherwise love this book. Skink defenders, do your work!
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May 16, 2013 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animal-communication, animals, rabbits, kidnapping, family, fiction, canada, humor, mystery, husband-and-wife, women-writers, friendship, adventure, juvenile-fiction, 2013

Thank goodness for serendipity. On the Fiction_L listserve, someone mentioned that this book would make a good choice for a book discussion group. I found that hard to believe; looked it up in my library's catalog and took it home that night to read. I was intrigued with the premise of the book, but even more intrigued with the thought of an adult book club talking about a mystery narrated by rabbits.

This is a hoot. There are several layers to Mrs. Bunny's story so adults and children will both...more

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May 13, 2013 Jim Erekson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thanks for the tip, Lu! We enjoyed listening to this in the car, and filling in at home with the book in between.

The tongue-in-cheek tone reminded me of the Alexander McCall Smith mysteries, like the Prof. Dr. von Igelfeld books. So many laughing moments in this book--Pearl couldn't help herself and acted out several times during the week the moment when for dramatic effect in the courtoom, Mr. Bunny paused so long that "several councilbunnies went out for coffee. One had time to order a short...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Lu Benke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Think farce. Think Marshall's The Stupids. Think a book that blows you out of the water for how silly and fun and full of the fun of language a book can be. I KNOW a lot of my colleagues will say this book is just too much, but I loved it! I listened to this as an audiobook but I think I would have enjoyed the book even more. The girl Madeline has parents who are the stereotype of Hippy/Dead Head parents. I laughed the entire time that they were introduced. I kept wondering what age kids would e...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Miriam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good fun. I just loved Everything on a Waffle so I was fairly sure that Mr and Mrs Bunny would be a good read, though I wasn't quite sure what to expect given, well, given the bunnies. So yes, there are anthropomorphic bunnies, and foxes, and marmots, but I would still say the book will have greater appeal among fans of clever, slightly prickly, but still sweet at its core, realistic fiction than among fantasy fans. Certainly 10-year-old Madeline's isolated life on a quasi commune with her obtus...more

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Sep 14, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-chapter-book

I picked this one up for a couple of reasons. I enjoyed Everything on a Waffle and My One Hundred Adventures by the same author. Also, the cover drew me in with its ridiculous title, its equally ridiculous illustration of two oh-so-serious detective rabbits, and its claim that the book was translated from the rabbit by Polly Horvath.

And even though I laughed through the whole thing, I don’t think kids are going to find it nearly as funny as I did. The kids who pick up a bunny chapter book are no...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Lindsay rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: canada, children, humor, rabbits, marmots, foxes, hats, kidnapping, mystery, for-middle-grades-4-8, ar-4-8, uncles

At the library where I work, we have a section for new books (print books and audiobooks), and I am always perusing it on my out. To be honest, I pulled this book because of the cover! lol I'm also fond of mysteries.

One thing I can't stand about modern TV sitcoms is that parents, usually the dad, are portrayed as idiots. In this story, the parents are idiots, but in a way that should make some kids appreciate their own parents a bit more. In this story, Madeline is a girl who lives on a tiny Ca...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Karin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rabbits, interspecies, talking-animals, juvenile-fiction, fantasy, funny, kidnapping, kids-with-adult-problems, parents, borrowed-from-the-library, detective-work

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Mr. & Mrs. Bunny have just decided (one of Mrs. Bunny’s many whims) to become detectives when Madeline’s parents (humans) go missing. Madeline is a responsible young girl, who is about to graduate from the 5th grade, and she’s accustomed to taking care of her folks. When they are abducted by foxes, she is sick with worry about them (how will they manage without her?). All Madeline has to work with is a ransom note (signed “The Enemy”) and a mysterious recipe card written in code. Her famous...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Sharon Tyler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath is a children's chapter book with much more to it than I expected from the cover. There are two story lines in the beginning, that intersect and continue in unexpected ways. Madeline is a responsible young girl being raised by two free spirited parents, in an equally free spirited town. One night Madeline comes home from work to discover her parents have been kidnapped. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny are moving to a new home, that has been vacat...more Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath is a children's chapter book with much more to it than I expected from the cover. There are two story lines in the beginning, that intersect and continue in unexpected ways. Madeline is a responsible young girl being raised by two free spirited parents, in an equally free spirited town. One night Madeline comes home from work to discover her parents have been kidnapped. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny are moving to a new home, that has been vacated under mysterious circumstances. To alleviate boredom Mrs. Bunny has decided they should become detectives, which turns out to be a good choice when they meet Madeline, who has sought help from her uncle. As the story continues, it gets funnier and more interesting with quirky characters and beautiful illustrations from Sophie Blackall.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire is a hilarious mystery full of expected characters like detective bunnies, disreputable foxes, and a garlic loving marmot. I liked the fact that Madeline was smart and self reliant, and thought it was even better that the bunny couple wanted to take care of her. She is a practical girl that seems to be raising her parents. The entire island she lives on seems to look at her as the strange one, because she is responsible. The bunny community is equally odd. The kidnapping and the search for Madeline's parents draws in a slew of eccentric characters, like the brilliant code breaking but odd uncle, scatterbrained marmot, hat loving bunnies, and a nuisance of a neighbor. The bunny couple is well-meaning and many parents might see some aspects of their own relationships in the bunny interactions. The entire effect is fun and highly entertaining.

I recommend Mr. and Mrs. Bunny-Detectives Extraordinaire! For seven to twelve year-old’s, and the adults that might read to or with them. Teachers, parents, and anyone that enjoys children's literature will also enjoy this book. There is something fun and entertaining for both distinct levels of readers, and I am looking forward to further exploring the work of Polly Horvath and Sophie Blackall. (less)

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Feb 11, 2012 Meagan Myhren-bennett rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: pre-teens

Shelves: adventure, drama, family, friendship, mystery

MR. AND MRS. BUNNY
DETECTIVES EXTRAORDINAIRE!
By Polly Horvath
Illustrations by Sophie Blackall

It should be noted that this extraordinary tale is written by Mrs. Bunny and translated from the original Rabbit in which it was written by Polly Horvath.

Madeline lives on Hornby Island, Vancouver, British Columbia with her hippie parents Flo and Mildred. Madeline to the dismay of her parents was not into the hippie lifestyle and in fact went to a public school! At the public school Madeline was looked at...more MR. AND MRS. BUNNY
DETECTIVES EXTRAORDINAIRE!
By Polly Horvath
Illustrations by Sophie Blackall

It should be noted that this extraordinary tale is written by Mrs. Bunny and translated from the original Rabbit in which it was written by Polly Horvath.

Madeline lives on Hornby Island, Vancouver, British Columbia with her hippie parents Flo and Mildred. Madeline to the dismay of her parents was not into the hippie lifestyle and in fact went to a public school! At the public school Madeline was looked at as an oddity as well. Madeline’s Uncle Runyon was the only member of her extended family who lived in Canada legally as he was employed by the Canadian government as a decoder scientist!

When Madeline’s parents are kidnapped by band of foxes, Madeline is beside herself. Uncle Runyon is her only hope but he is ill and falls into a coma. With no one able to decode the file card that she found at her house Madeline worries about what will happen to her parents. As Madeline sits outside Uncle Runyon’s mansion Mr. and Mrs. Bunny find her. Madeline soon discovers that she has the ability to speak rabbit and her story of woe is soon told. To Madeline’s delight Mr. and Mrs. Bunny tell Madeline that they are detectives and will soon get her parents back for her. What Mr. and Mrs. Bunny neglect to tell Madeline is that they decided to become detectives just that day!

The Bunny’s decide that it is imperative to decode the file card that Madeline found so they take the card to The Marmot. But The Marmot loses the file card and can not remember what he was able to decode. Madeline decides to hypnotize The Marmot and they discover that the file card is lost forever.

The quest to save Madeline’s parents takes on a serious tone when a letter arrives at the Bunny’s home and it is signed, “The Enemy.” Time is running out, can Madeline, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny save Flo and Mildred before they become finger food? With the help of the entire Bunny community Madeline’s parents are rescued and are as completely useless as before their capture.

MR. AND MRS. BUNNY DETECTIVES EXTRAORDINAIRE is a humorous take on a totally dysfunctional family that fans of Dav Pilkey’s style of writing should enjoy.

The publisher provided a Digital ARC for the purpose of this review.
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Dec 12, 2012 Miz Lizzie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, canada, childrensbooks, fantasy, mystery

Madeline is a resourceful young girl who must rescue her flaky hippy parents when they are kidnapped by foxes. Yes, that's right, foxes. She leaves her island home off the coast of British Columbia for the mainland to get help from her uncle, a famous decoder. But when her uncle falls into a coma, she comes across some unexpected assitance from Mr. and Mrs. Bunny. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny who have recently donned fedoras and thereby become detectives. The mix of slightly kooky real world with talking...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lauren by: I liked the cover.

This is such a fun, quirky, silly read. Madeleine's parents are kidnapped by foxes who are looking for her uncle, the Best decoder in all of Canada. Wanting to get to her uncle first in hopes he can help her decode a message on a card left behind, her only clue besides the note left on the refrigerator, Madeleine finds he is in a delirious fever talking about animals talking, why couldn't foxes drive, and wouldn't a coma be wonderful. Which is what happens. Left with no where to turn, Madeleine...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Katharine rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was GREAT! My children and I have a habit of reading aloud for a half-hour or so each day in our homeschool. We are always on the lookout for books that appeal to everyone -- the ages range from 7-14. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire fit the bill perfectly.

Madeline, a lonely, independent, sensible girl discovers that her hippie-dippy, irresponsible parents have been kidnapped by foxes. In an effort to rescue them, Madeline discovers a pair of bunnies --who reminded me of...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Chris Go rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't think you can go wrong with a book by Polly Horvath. This was a great read-a-loud. It is silly and funny. The plot is nothing like you would expect. I mean do you ever wake up worrying that your parents could be kidnapped by foxes that drive?!

But that is exactly what happens to Madeline. And even she can hardly believe that she ends up turning to two talking detective bunnies for help - but she does. And what an adventure she has! It even involves Prince Charles.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny are a...more

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May 16, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-fun, recommend, middle-reader

What a cute book! Fanciful, fun, and with such a cheeky tone, it was impossible to resist! And I loved how British it was (even though it's a Canadian book!). Those Brits know what they're doing.

There are many great scenes in this book, but the hippy parents provide most of my favourites. I don't know what I'd do if they belonged to me, but they are thoroughly entertaining!

The only things that keep me from giving it a right-out 5 star rating is that there are a few scattered moments where I felt...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Gail Shepherd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-of-the-best, middle-grade, comic

The bulk of my reading is middle grade, YA, and adult, but getting the galleys for Polly Horvath's Mr. and Mrs Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! made my week, and I'm not even exaggerating. I haven't howled through a book this way since David Sedaris's Naked. And to think it was a chapter book that left me gasping! Mr. and Mrs. Bunny is targeting two completely different demographics, I suspect: seven- to ten-year-olds, and the adults reading to them. The book is due out February 2012, but you c...more The bulk of my reading is middle grade, YA, and adult, but getting the galleys for Polly Horvath's Mr. and Mrs Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! made my week, and I'm not even exaggerating. I haven't howled through a book this way since David Sedaris's Naked. And to think it was a chapter book that left me gasping! Mr. and Mrs. Bunny is targeting two completely different demographics, I suspect: seven- to ten-year-olds, and the adults reading to them. The book is due out February 2012, but you can pre-order it now from Amazon. Do it now so you don't forget.

The under-ten crowd might miss the satire (New Age parents and chain restaurants come in for a lot of goosing; and couples will recognize themselves in the happily married, if long-suffering, Bunnies). But the non-stop silliness is equal opportunity fun. Madeline's parents have been kidnapped by foxes running a rabbit by-products factory; she hires Mr. and Mrs. Bunny to track them down. Half the joke is that Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--who wear fedoras and drive a Smart car--are kindly but incompetent. When a very stupid marmot (named The Marmot) is added to the mix the tangles increase exponentially.

The Marmot Question
Just how stupid is that marmot? Well, for starters, he uses a card printed with a precious secret code to wipe his bottom, then flushes it down the toilet. Horvath knows how to take a good joke and keep drawing it out. The Marmot asks Madeline to call him "The," his first name, but Madeline finds this impossibly confusing. "Listen," she says, "can I call you something else? Don't you have a nickname?"

"My Mother sometimes called me her Special Precious," said The Marmot.
"I don't think I could do that," said Madeline, shuddering.
"Look, just let her call you Mr. Marmot," said Mr. Bunny.
"How about Poindexter?" said the Marmot.
"Why Poindexter?" asked Madeline.
"Please do not ask him questions. Please. We'll be here all night. When it comes to marmots, give orders," said Mr. Bunny.

The problem of what to call The Marmot goes on for pages, getting progressively crazier. All the while Madeline's annoying parents, who have brains the size of mung beans, are having an insane conversation of their own with a fox called Grand Poobah. They're tied up back to back in the by-products factory, and Madeline's dad believes--wrongly--that he's getting the hang of speaking fox. Zakszokeyid! Little do they know the foxes are planning to have finger food for dinner that night. Can you guess what the main ingredient is?

The illustrations by Sophie Blackall are charming.Among her twelve previous kids books, Horvath has picked up a National Book Award and a Newberry Honor; I can see why. I plan to go back and read them all.(less)

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Sep 22, 2012 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book-challenge

This is a wacky book. I enjoyed it and thought it was funny. It actually reminded me a bit of "Alice in Wonderland" - a resolute, no-nonsense heroine, talking rabbits in hats, silly bickering amongst the characters and a kind of crazy silly sense of humor. But I just kept thinking that your average 10-year-old, the audience for whom this book was presumably written, would not get it. Perhaps they will enjoy it on a different level - I hope so - but I don't think most kids these days even necessa...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Eva Silverstone rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: juv-books, talking-animals

There were several problems with this book. I think they can be written off to a couple of things. Like many books that have been translated, some of the nuance is often lost in an effort to make sure the story is related correctly. Also, it is Mrs. Bunny’s first novel and like her other “professions” she dives headfirst into these professions without knowing whether she can do them or not; she has amazing confidence (maybe more so than skill). I started reading this to my second grader and quic...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Barb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-fiction

I really enjoyed this book Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath . The plot took fun and silly turns thoughout this tale. I believe my 3rd graders would enjoy this book. This would make a good read aloud book. It did have some jokes that might need some extra explanations to help students get the references to popular culture.

I also enjoyed the illustrations by Sophie Blackall . The artist did a wonderful job matching up the crazy scenes from the book. My favorite was th...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-fiction, read-aloud-to-maren

The opening chapter of this book actually put me off a bit (do the words "crap" and "pee" really need to be in a Juvie Fiction book?). I'm glad I stuck with it--this turned out to be totally charming and completely hilarious. It's very quirky and a bit madcap and literally made me laugh out loud. I imagine that a good number of the references would fly over the heads of the intended JF audience, but would amuse the parents who are reading the books aloud to them.

The story is charming and funny...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath is fun from beginning to end. As in all the Polly Horvath books I have read there is a uniquely functioning dysfunctional family situation. In this case Madeline is more an adult than her parents. She takes care of everything for them, but they don't seem to see the need for her traditional wishes to go to school, have friends or fit in. Of course they get kidnapped and it is up to Madeline to find them. S...more

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May 01, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, humor, mystery, read_2012, juvenile

All Madeline wants to do is attend her 5th grade graduation, but to do that she will need white shoes, and her hippie parents Flo and Mildred just don't see what's so important about any of it. Then her parents disappear and Madeline's problems get much bigger. Her only clue is a coded card, and the possibility that she saw a fox leaving the scene of the crime. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) she soon meets Mr. and Mrs. Bunny who have recently decided to become detectives. Can they solve the case...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Naomi Schmidt rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a cute and extremely silly little book. In its own version of the common Disney trope, most of the adults in Madeleine's life are completely useless, especially her hippy parents, whom she has basically been taking care of for as long as she can remember. So, when they get kidnapped, it seems only natural that she should be able to figure out where they are and how to get them back. However, the relative whose assistance she is counting on falls into a sudden (if expected) coma, and the...more

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May 03, 2012 Bobby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kidsstuff, mystery, animal

Madeline enlists the assistance of amateur detectives Mr. and Mrs. Bunny to help her find her missing hippy-dippy parents, who have been kidnapped by foxes. On their search, they encounter a marmot with a hankering for garlic bread, a secret code, a gluttonous neighbor rabbit, and the Olde Spaghetti Factory???

A book that seems to have some of the most random asides and plot points in all of children's literature (think "A Series of Unfortunate Events"-type humor and tone). It takes a while to fi...more

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May 05, 2013 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: animal-fantasy, juvenile-mystery

I absolutely loved this book. It is sort of a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Winnie-the-Poo. Funny yet poignant. It does take a couple of chapters to get into the book's rhythm. In fact, I may suggest that readers begin with Chapter Two and go back and read Chapter One later.

This is an adorable story about Madeline getting two rabbit detectives to help her find her parents who were kidnapped by foxes. But the last chapter brings it all together -- that this has really been about a child's...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: juv, mystery, cybils-nominees-2012-2013

This is the sort of comedy that is either side-splittingly funny or falls flat, depending on the reader. I found it completely hilarious - the whole bunny world, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny's marriage, the hippy world of Madeline's parents, the general dry humor, and of course Sophie Blackall's illustrations. As a mystery, it doesn't quite succeed - this is really the only flaw. Nothing much happens for a long time, the bunny detectives sort things out completely by accident, and the reader knows the ans...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Mickey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

...oh where do I begin?! I started this book with the idea that it would be a quick read...quick review...moving on. Man, was I wrong. I was laughing at the absurdity of meeting the Bunnies for the first time and found myself devouring the book to see what was coming next. It was one of those stories that should have been predictable, but I constantly second-guessed myself because there was a constant feeling that anything could happen next.

Mr and Mrs Bunny would be a great middle-school book us...more

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Jun 11, 2012 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals, humor, juvenile-fiction

Madeline's parents have been kidnapped by linguistically-inclined foxes in the process of starting their own rabbit-product factory. Madeline teams up with Mr. and Mrs. Bunny in order to find them. On the way they deal with hat clubs, an uncle in a coma, exploding rubber, a mooching neighbor, and a garlic-guzzling marmot.

I just don't know. The story was cute, and the book was laugh-out-loud funny in some places, but there isn't a good audience for this. The storyline is probably of most interest...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-animals, schoolage, schoolage-animals, schoolage-adventure, schoolage-family, schoolage-girl, schoolage-mystery

A perfect blend of adorable, classic, nostalgia, with contemporary dry wit and absurdity, this is the story of two empty nester rabbits, who address their loneliness by moving to town, buying a smart car (which they can only drive by wearing purple platform shoes), and becoming detectives. This is also the story of Madeline, a uniquely responsible and clever girl who regularly takes care of her hippie, spaced out parents. The mystery is not particularly solvable, but it doesn't matter, as rompin...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Madeline's parents go missing, and she needs to find them. (They're hippies and don't take care of themselves very well.) Madeline meets Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, who have decided to be detectives, because they like fedoras, and together they solve they mystery.

I personally thought this was funny, but I wondered if kids would need explanations for some of the humor. Example on pg.60-61, "He surveyed the wreckage he had caused and decided that since he would be no good putting things back in their prop...more

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About Polly Horvath

Polly Horvath is the author of many books for young people, including Everything on a Waffle, The Pepins and Their Problems, The Canning Season and The Trolls. Her numerous awards include the Newbery Honor, the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature, the Mr. Christie Award, the international White Raven...more

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Quotes from Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Det...

“We read a lot of books. Children's books mostly, because they're always much more truthful than adult books. And much more entertaining," said Mrs. Bunny.” — 4 people liked it

“The richness of our lives depends on what we are willing to notice and what we are willing to believe.” — 4 people liked it

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title link	preview: Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!
avg rating	preview: Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire! Goodreads rating: 3.67 (586 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11148223-mr-and-mrs-bunny-detectives-extraordinaire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320541494l/11148223.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11148223-mr-and-mrs-bunny-detectives-extraordinaire?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath[/url]

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!

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