That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown

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From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton(Orchard Books, 2006)Good to Read for:its strong female lead, Emily Browninspiring creativity and imaginative playthe funny text and exuberant illustrationsAs a genre, picture books are often criticised for the scarcity of strong female characters. Statistically, it’s true. But when they do appear, they are everything you could hope for – and Emily Brown is no exception.

(Check out my recommendations at the end of the article for more girl-powered picture books!)

Wide-eyed and demure (yet feisty for all the good reasons), Emily Brown is inspirational. Forthright yet polite, she's created by a class act: The current Children’s Laureate, Cressida Cowell (words), and Neal Layton (pictures). Wildly imaginative, Emily Brown always takes the lead (be it first up the gangplank into the spaceship or driving the motorbike). All in all, an extremely positive female protagonist!

Here’s Layton’s take on the character he helped create:

 

“[Emily Brown] is a very strong character with a strong sense of justice, but she’s sensitive and an adventurer. … [W]hen I first drew her, I wondered whether to put her in dungarees or shorts. But I thought, ‘No, I’m going to put her in a dress’. Why shouldn’t you be able to go adventuring and save the world in something you feel good in?”

WE MEET…ILLUSTRATOR NEAL LAYTON (BOOKS WITH BABIES)

 

That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown is the first in a series of picture books featuring Emily Brown (and her bunny sidekick, Stanley). Cowell’s opening line, ‘Once upon a time,’ sets the stage for an exciting, fantastical adventure worthy of any fairy tale:

 

Once upon a time,

there was a little girl called Emily Brown

and an old grey rabbit called Stanley.

 

Beloved toys always end up looking a bit worse for wear – and Stanley is no exception! (Layton used images of his old teddy’s fur to create Stanley’s threadbare appearance.) But Emily loves him!

 

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

The inseparable friends are boarding a spaceship (headed for ‘Outer Space to look for alien life forms’) when there’s a knock at the door.

It’s the Chief Footman to Her Most Royal Highness Queen Gloriana the Third! She would like to exchange Emily Brown’s ‘Bunnywunny’ for a brand-new golden teddy bear.

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From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

Emily Brown looked at the Queen’s teddy bear.

It was stiff and new and gold and horrible.

It had staring eyes and no smile at all.

“No thank you,” said Emily Brown. “This rabbit is NOT for sale.

And his name isn’t Bunnywunny. It’s STANLEY.”

And Emily Brown shut the door politely.

 

Brilliant!

The friends continue having adventures. But the Queen is determined and sends more Royal Envoys (each with an increased offer for Stanley). Emily Brown is consistent and forthright. A loyal friend to Stanley, she can’t be bought off and remains unintimidated by the Queen. 

Finally, the Wing Commander of the Air Force arrives in a fleet of air balloons.

 

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

Now Emily Brown was FED UP!

She sent that Air Force away and she pinned a big notice on the garden gate that read:

 

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

Layton’s illustrations are genius. They have raw energy (think John Burningham on speed), and I admire them hugely. Children’s imaginations defy time and space, and Layton captures that essence perfectly by juxtaposing his scribbly drawings with photographic elements. He presents the doors through which the military forces come and go as free-floating entities in scenes where the ‘real’, and the imagined, are entwined in entirely plausible ways.

(I first read That Rabbit years ago when the kids were young. The image of Emily Brown and Stanley deep-sea diving for treasure stuck with me. It’s simple and effective. I can’t imagine a more perfect way that the scene could have been illustrated.)

 

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

Back to the story. 

In a surprising turn of events, the Queen resorts to stealth. In the dead of night, she sends in a crack team of Special Commandos to break into Emily Brown’s house…

 

When Emily Brown woke up the next morning, for the first time in her life there was NO STANLEY!

 

Children will really engage with this scene. They have a strong sense of right and wrong and will be outraged by the injustice of the situation. I mean, the Queen – of all people! What’s more, all kids can likely relate to the intense feeling (so perfectly captured in Layton’s art) of suddenly realising that a precious cuddly toy has been lost. 

 

From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

It was just such a moment that inspired Cowell to write That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown. In an interview, she tells of the time her daughter’s beloved cuddly toy, Mr Dog, went missing. “We looked everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE...under sofas, behind chairs, in cupboards, in the garden…but Mr Dog was nowhere to be found.” 

Cowell’s daughter cried herself to sleep, and Mr Dog remained missing. A few days later, he was found – in the freezer! When asked why Mr Dog was in there (next to the fish fingers), Cowell’s daughter replied, ‘Oh I remember now, he was looking for the north pole….’ 

“So that was the inspiration for the book,” explains Cowell. “[T]he extraordinary imaginary adventures that children go on with their toys, and the strength of the bond between the child and the toy.”

 

Emily Brown was SO CROSS.

She knew just what had happened.

She marched straight up to the Palace on the Hill.

She knocked on the Queen’s front door.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

 

Once Stanley is in the Queen’s possession, ‘she learns an important lesson: that it takes more than mere ownership to make a toy special.’ She is relieved to see Emily Brown because ‘there’s something wrong with Bunnywunny!’

Poor Stanley has been washed and restuffed ‘so he wasn’t flippy-floppy anymore.’

 

And, worst of all, they had sewn up his mouth, where Emily Brown had picked it away, and Stanley wasn’t smiling anymore.

Stanley was MISERABLE.

 

“Emily Brown is undaunted [by the Queen]”, explains Cowell in a 2016 interview with the Guardian. “She is not scared. She is given a huge bribe of all the toys she could desire, yet knows what she wants ... what the important things are.”

Reunited with Stanley, Emily Brown turns to leave. But the Queen’ begins to cry and wail. So Emily Brown fetches the golden teddy from the Royal Toy Cupboard and pops it on the Queen’s lap. “You take that horrid brand-new teddy bear and you play with him all day,” she whispers into the Royal Ear. “Sleep with him at night. Hold him very tight and be sure to have lots of adventures. And then maybe one day you will wake up with a real toy of your OWN.”

That Rabbit begins with ‘Once upon a time’ and ends with a satisfying ‘Happily Ever After’. Emily Brown and Stanley are on another adventure (‘exploring the Outermost Regions of the Milky Way’) when another Rat-a-tat-tat! comes on the kitchen door…

It’s a letter from Queen Gloriana the Third, headed with a picture of her with her smiling teddy.  

 

And it just said: Thank you.

 Beneath all the fun of That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown lies an important message. But it’s not really there for the kids.

Like Emily Brown, they have an intuitive understanding of the Important Things in life. Cowell explains that it’s there for the adults who have become preoccupied with the new and the shiny (and distracted by gadgets). Life has a habit of sweeping us along, and it’s too easy to forget what really matters: 

Investing in family and friendships.  

Spending time with the ones we love. 

Having fun together (maybe connecting over a picture book!). 

To paraphrase Cowell, these are all key characteristics and values that come naturally to Emily Brown.

Which makes Stanley a very lucky rabbit indeed!

 STORIES WORTH SHARINGThat Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell & Neal LaytonGood to Read for:its strong female lead, Emily Browninspiring creativity and imaginative playthe funny text and exuberant illustrationsGOOD TO READGirl-powered picture books!

The Charlie and Lola series by Lauren Child

The Clarice Bean series by Lauren Child

The Maisy Mouse series by Lucy Cousins

The Olivia series by Ian Falconer

Sophie Johnson: Unicorn Expert by Morag Hood & Ella Okstad

Tiger Lily by Gwen Millward

Lavender by Posy Simmonds

The Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems

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From That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) | Illustration © 2006 by Neal Layton | Text © 2006 by Cressida Cowell

 

“That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown captures the unbreakable bond between children and their mankiest toys.” - The Telegraph

“Best picture book of the year.” – Financial Times

Buy UK* I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD/AFFSee more of Neal Layton’s work in his online portfolio.RELATED ARTICLES SOURCESThat Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton (Orchard Books, 2006) Neal Layto n - Illustrator and Author (neillayton.com) About Cressida Cowell (cresidacowell.co.uk) We meet Illustrator Neal Layton (bookswithbaby.com) Cressida Cowell chats about Emily Brown and King (Glenn Meads, whatsonstage.com, 7 October 2014) That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown Interview with Cressida Cowell: 'I encourage you to be creative. It’s part of my job' (Krazy Kesh, The Guardian, 24 March 2016)© 2021 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)**** USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.