Bunny's Lessons

by Harriet Ziefert, Barroux (Illustrator)

Bunny, Charlie's favorite toy, learns about life from the boy who takes him everywhere. When Charlie plays the tuba, Bunny learns about LOUD; when they play doctor, Bunny learns about OUCH; when they eat dinner, Bunny learns about MESSY.
Harriet Ziefert and Barroux charmingly tell the tale of the relationship between an inseparable and irresistible pair who learn about the delights (along with the bumps and bruises) of friendship and love.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Rabbits, Love

38 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2011

About the author

Harriet Ziefert grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey, where she attended the local schools. She graduated from Smith College, then received a Masters degree in Education from New York University.

For many years, Ziefert was an elementary school teacher. She taught most grades from kindergarten to fifth grade. "I liked it," she said, but she stopped teaching when she had her own sons. When her children were older, Ziefert wanted "a bigger arena" for her work. She went to work at a publishing company, Scholastic in New York City, developing materials for teacher's guides for kindergarten language arts and social studies programs.

"About twelve years ago," says Ziefert in a 1995 interview, "I tried to get a job as an editor, but no one would hire me as a trade editor. So I decided to write my own books." Since then, she has written several hundred books, mostly picture books and easy-to-read books. "I write books very quickly," she says, "in about twelve hours. I rewrite them three times over three days, and then they're done." She writes about twenty books a year.

Reviews

[David]

Bunny's Lessons by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Barroux is a book about concepts and feelings as told by a stuffed bunny recounting all the lessons he's learned from his friend (and owner) Charlie, who takes him everywhere.

Bunny does indeed learn everything from being with Charlie, including concepts and emotions such as loud, messy, rude, more!, jealous, sorry, scared, and love.

Young listeners should understand and identify with a strong attachment to a specific toy or stuffed animal. The concept of learning through everyday activities is a good one, especially regarding dealing with emotions.

I really enjoyed the illustrations by Barroux, particularly the Doctor one, with a variety of things pictured including bandages, a stethescope, a mallet and a screwdriver! The series dealing with the paint and the ensuing cleanup are excellent. The illustrations matched the story and extended it with humorous details.

For ages 2.5 to 5, feelings, concepts, toys, stuffed animnals, and fans of Harriet Ziefert and Barroux.

[Dena McMurdie]

Books for Kids

This book is interesting on a few different levels. It is a story about the friendship and love between a child and a toy. The bunny learns everything from his boy.

It is really sweet to see the world through the eyes of a toy. There are a lot of rough patches along the way. Bunny doesn't always get played with, and sometimes he gets lost. Sometimes he gets dirty. Other times he is loved.


The other thing I liked about this book is the emphasis on new words. One of the reasons that I read to my children is because I want their vocabulary to expand. Each experience between Bunny and Charlie also brings a new lesson and a new word. Bunny learns about "loud", "messy", "sorry", "lonely", and "time-out" among others. It gave me an opportunity to talk to my children about the meaning behind each of those words and talk about them a little bit. It helped them to understand what Bunny was experiencing.


I love the illustrations. They are simple and child-like. There is something beautiful about the uncluttered space that strips away all the frills and lets you just go along for the ride.

[Stefani]

Nice story to introduce feelings and friendships, using a toy most children can relate to. Some of the references seem out of place, like Charlie's female friend is called his girlfriend. But overall, a nice story with fun, expressive illustrations.

[Matthew]

I liked the presentation, but the end was quite literally an out-of-the-blue pronouncement. The end? Right up until the last page, I was with it, and I was having a good time. Clever. The end was like they just decided to shut down presses because the paper was out. Kind of disappointing.

[Jennifer]

Any kid with a favorite toy they carry around will understand this book. Told from the POV of Bunny, Charlie's favorite stuffed animal, we learn about friendship, messy, jealous, loud, rude, and more. The illustrations are fabulous and the story line is relatable. The text is almost too simple for preschoolers, but perfect for toddlers (although the book itself is too long for a toddler story time). I'll probably use this one in a toddler story time about feelings and just paper clip a few pages together. For preschool story time I'll use the whole thing but we'll talk about most of the spreads.

This could have been 4 stars instead of 3, but the ending just comes out of nowhere and leaves you feeling flat.

[Villa Park Public Library]

Charlie and his best friend Bunny love antics like the messy creativity during arts and craft time and the slurp-tacular taste of a buttered noodle lunch. But not all lessons are easy to learn in a friendship, like not waiting your turn to talk could lead to a time-out. Can the duo put in the work and learn how to be there for one another? Check out this wholesome picture book where lessons are most importantly rooted in love.

Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library!

[Peacegal]

As a little boy learns about the world around him, his stuffed toy bunny learns from the boy. Cute book told from the perspective of a beloved toy.

[Andrés]

This is potentially good way to talk about feelings through a fictional stuffed animal.

[Lori Calabrese]

Does your young reader have an inseparable toy?

In Bunny's Lessons, we learn about the inseparable pair--Bunny and Charlie. Bunny is Charlie's favorite toy, and Charlie is Bunny's friend and teacher. After all, whatever he knows, he's learned from Charlie. When Charlie plays the tuba, Bunny learns about LOUD; when they play doctor, Bunny learns about OUCH; when they eat dinner, Bunny learns about MESSY.

The format of this book makes for a great dual read for emerging readers. Parents and caregivers can read the story and your emerging reader can read what Bunny learns. And he learns everything from jealous to lonely to scared to sad. But in the end, the most important lesson is LOVE.

Harriet Ziefert and Barroux, the creative mind behind EXTRAordinary Pets, have created a unique story about attachments to stuffed animals. Young readers will eat up the illustrations and they'll learn about MORE--something they'll be asking with this book--to read MORE.

[Stephanie Nawrocki]

This is an excellent young children's book to read to a class. Bunny talks about what he learns from Charlie, the boy who owns him. Bunny talks about the things that they do every day and what he learns from them. The book is incredibly cute and has excellent illustrations that are beautiful and attention grabbing. Young children will definitely stay interested when being read this story. It's a fun book from a different perspective than other children's books, which makes it unique. I would definitely read this to my students in the future.

[Tricia]

Bunny learns about life--from messy to ouch---from his friend Charlie. When Charlie has a playdate, Bunny learns about jealous. When Bunny is lonely, Charlie comforts him. This book is reassuring and cuddly--much like Bunny is to Charlie and vice versa. While the text is sparse, the concepts are a bit more mature. I would therefore gear this one toward older toddlers/younger preschoolers who are learning more about their feelings.

[Shelli]

Charlie teaches his bunny everything he knows and also the things he is learning. Bunny learns about LOUD when Charlie plays his tuba. Bunny learns about OUCH when Charlie plays doctor. He also learns about different feelings and emotions as he spends time with or is ignored by Charlie. Great read aloud for Elementary age students and younger. Loved it!

[Melissa Valdez]

Bunny's lessons is a good book for a younger audience. The book focuses on the different experiences that Bunny faces with his Charley, the boy who takes care of him. Throughout the story Bunny is able to figure out different emotions or reactions that derive from the activities that Charley does with him.

[Wendy Kuzma]

I love how bunny learns all kinds of concepts and feelings through everyday experiences. Isn't that true for all of us? It is a good reminder for parents how valuable just giving your child the chance to experience different things can help them learn!

[Kayla]

I thought it was cute, but probably better for younger kids. Mine are 4 and 7 and it felt a little babyish for them.

[Tam]

Charlie has a favorite stuffed animal named Bunny. My 4-year-old has a favorite stuffed animal named Giraffeeee. My child enjoyed this story because he could relate to it.

[Kelly]

It was interesting. I liked the second half of the book better than the first half. It teaches some words in a cute way.

[Katie]

Fantastic book about feelings! Introduces new vocabulary and identifies feelings like loneliness, rudeness, jealousy, but also... love! Very sweet.

[Thia]

manners, emotions, bunnies

[Nicole]

Sweet. Classic sort of child and favorite stuffed animal story, but very well done. And the illustrations make is "fresh"...

[Keri]

Sweet book. Would be a great discussion starter with students on how mood & illustrations/fonts work together.

[Ashley]

Cute ending.

[Linda Atkinson]

A wonderful story of love and friendship that will truly delight the preK set.