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Pat the Bunny
The timeless children’s classic full of interactive fun—a perfect gift for new babies and first birthdays.
For generations, Pat the Bunny has been creating special first-time moments between parents and their children. One of the best-selling children’s books of all time, this classic touch-and-feel book offers babies a playful and engaging experience, all the while creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
For generations, Pat the Bunny has been creating special first-time moments between parents and their children. One of the best-selling children’s books of all time, this classic touch-and-feel book offers babies a playful and engaging experience, all the while creating cherished memories that will last a lifetime.
20 pages, Board Book
First published January 1, 1940
38 people are currently reading
3282 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Kunhardt
64 books31 followersDorothy Kunhardt was the author of over 50 children's book, including the legendary interactive baby book, Pat the Bunny. She was also a historian, writing several books about 19th century America, including a well-known account of the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 508 reviews
March 7, 2024
One day you're going to open a box of your childhood toys and smell this book. You'll know it immediately. Oh, it's those horrendous flowers of Paul's, you'll think.
The book is non-gender-normative. Paul likes flowers. (He seems to gravitate towards ones that smell like grandmothers.) Daddy is...well, Daddy is pretty.
Bunny is big. How big is bunny? Soooooooo big! Bunny is vaguely menacing, especially in Judy's book within a book that, like Arabian Nights or If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, expands and undermines the universe of the book we're reading. Who is this story about? Is it Paul and Judy? Is it the bunny? Is it you?
Written in 1940, Pat the Bunny was the progenitor of a whole series of touchy children's books, reaching their unholy apex with the That's Not My... series. It's changed not a bit in 75 years. My kid is into it. He waves bye-bye to Paul and Judy. Can you wave bye-bye to Paul and Judy? Paul and Judy will be back for your child's child. Paul will bring flowers. They will still smell fucking terrible.
Merged review:
One day you're going to open a box of your childhood toys and smell this book. You'll know it immediately. Oh, it's those horrendous flowers of Paul's, you'll think.
The book is non-gender-normative. Paul likes flowers. (He seems to gravitate towards ones that smell like grandmothers.) Daddy is...well, Daddy is pretty.
Bunny is big. How big is bunny? Soooooooo big! Bunny is vaguely menacing, especially in Judy's book within a book that, like Arabian Nights or If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, expands and undermines the universe of the book we're reading. Who is this story about? Is it Paul and Judy? Is it the bunny? Is it you?
Written in 1940, Pat the Bunny was the progenitor of a whole series of touchy children's books, reaching their unholy apex with the That's Not My... series. It's changed not a bit in 75 years. My kid is into it. He waves bye-bye to Paul and Judy. Can you wave bye-bye to Paul and Judy? Paul and Judy will be back for your child's child. Paul will bring flowers. They will still smell fucking terrible.
The book is non-gender-normative. Paul likes flowers. (He seems to gravitate towards ones that smell like grandmothers.) Daddy is...well, Daddy is pretty.
Bunny is big. How big is bunny? Soooooooo big! Bunny is vaguely menacing, especially in Judy's book within a book that, like Arabian Nights or If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, expands and undermines the universe of the book we're reading. Who is this story about? Is it Paul and Judy? Is it the bunny? Is it you?
Written in 1940, Pat the Bunny was the progenitor of a whole series of touchy children's books, reaching their unholy apex with the That's Not My... series. It's changed not a bit in 75 years. My kid is into it. He waves bye-bye to Paul and Judy. Can you wave bye-bye to Paul and Judy? Paul and Judy will be back for your child's child. Paul will bring flowers. They will still smell fucking terrible.
Merged review:
One day you're going to open a box of your childhood toys and smell this book. You'll know it immediately. Oh, it's those horrendous flowers of Paul's, you'll think.
The book is non-gender-normative. Paul likes flowers. (He seems to gravitate towards ones that smell like grandmothers.) Daddy is...well, Daddy is pretty.
Bunny is big. How big is bunny? Soooooooo big! Bunny is vaguely menacing, especially in Judy's book within a book that, like Arabian Nights or If On a Winter's Night a Traveler, expands and undermines the universe of the book we're reading. Who is this story about? Is it Paul and Judy? Is it the bunny? Is it you?
Written in 1940, Pat the Bunny was the progenitor of a whole series of touchy children's books, reaching their unholy apex with the That's Not My... series. It's changed not a bit in 75 years. My kid is into it. He waves bye-bye to Paul and Judy. Can you wave bye-bye to Paul and Judy? Paul and Judy will be back for your child's child. Paul will bring flowers. They will still smell fucking terrible.
December 25, 2008
I don't know if one can review this book. It's Pat The Bunny. You get to pat the bunny. How cool is that? All the activities in the book are things kids do -- except patting the bunny. Is that a normal childhood activity, patting bunnies? I don't remember patting that many bunnies. Well, we did own Marshmallow (or Thumbalina, depending on which kid you asked -- there'd been a disagreement over who had the right to name the rabbit), but we didn't pat it all that often. Bunnies aren't that friendly. And if you look at it for a while, the bunny in Pat the Bunny is sort of freaky looking. And why is the entire book called "Pat the Bunny" when the bunny gets one page? Why isn't it called "Touch Dad's Scratchy Face?" Okay, that book wouldn't be a kid's classic sixty years later. Especially because that page looks like "Touch Dad's Scratchy Birthmark." but tactile books are always great when you're super tiny, and this is the classic.
Fun note -- my partner logged onto Amazon the other day, and thanks to her wildly divergent wish-list, was recommended "Pat the Bunny" and "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." I think there's a message in there somewhere, something with neo-colonial attitude towards animals, but I'll leave that for another time. . .
Fun note -- my partner logged onto Amazon the other day, and thanks to her wildly divergent wish-list, was recommended "Pat the Bunny" and "Pedagogy of the Oppressed." I think there's a message in there somewhere, something with neo-colonial attitude towards animals, but I'll leave that for another time. . .
June 20, 2021
They're probably bring a tad optimistic when describing this deluxe edition of the classic baby sensory book as sturdy and remains a keepsake for generations.
Any parent wants to introduce their children to books at a young age, though they don't fully understand that bending and biting the latest picture book means they won't last 5 minutes!
That's why I'm using 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up - this is such a perfect first book with plenty of activities to keep little ones entertained.
There's such a nice variety with scratch and sniff alongside touching.
My daughter loves looking at herself in the mirror.
It's clear that there's hour of fun to be had whilst flicking through the pages.
The book is pretty sturdy for young hands and they will get a lot if use out if it - which is reflected in my rating.
Definitely value for money (though oddly difficult to track down here in the U.K.), though it'll be intresting to see how well my daughters copy will fare over the coming months and years...
Any parent wants to introduce their children to books at a young age, though they don't fully understand that bending and biting the latest picture book means they won't last 5 minutes!
That's why I'm using 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up - this is such a perfect first book with plenty of activities to keep little ones entertained.
There's such a nice variety with scratch and sniff alongside touching.
My daughter loves looking at herself in the mirror.
It's clear that there's hour of fun to be had whilst flicking through the pages.
The book is pretty sturdy for young hands and they will get a lot if use out if it - which is reflected in my rating.
Definitely value for money (though oddly difficult to track down here in the U.K.), though it'll be intresting to see how well my daughters copy will fare over the coming months and years...
January 9, 2008
All three of my children went through a couple of copies of Pat the Bunny until they were tattered and torn. It is a wonderfully tactile book that gives every excuse to snuggle up with a child. That is the true language of a children's book: the language of love that passes between a parent and child. It has very little to do with words.
May 19, 2024
My kids loved this when very young.
August 1, 2018
A classic of toddler and pre-toddlerdom. The very young love it.
I am moved to review (in Jul 2016) because I bought a new edition for DS#2 (age 1) and it's better quality than his older one (or ones - how quickly a sleep deprived parent's memory fades). How often does that happen, these days? Pages seem tougher and Judy's book-inside-a-book is no longer made from flimsy rippable paper.
Jul 2018: The "comb" that serves as the binding is and was a weak spot. Too late for some copies of this book (we've gone through at least one per child) but I've seen people use yarn to tie it back together.
Most of one-year-old DD#2's original copy survives, but we went ahead and purchased the larger-sized Special Edition for her anyway. In addition to being significantly bigger, it also includes two features which were in the 1940s version but were dropped later. The child can rattle a button box, and there's a dolly which has a ball that one can squeak (with some difficulty). It's easy to see why these two features are not in the typical modern presentation: they're just not as good as the peek-a-boo, stick-your-finger-in-the-ring and so on. It's nice that they're there, but DD#2 doesn't spend the same amount of time grappling with them as she does with the others.
I am moved to review (in Jul 2016) because I bought a new edition for DS#2 (age 1) and it's better quality than his older one (or ones - how quickly a sleep deprived parent's memory fades). How often does that happen, these days? Pages seem tougher and Judy's book-inside-a-book is no longer made from flimsy rippable paper.
Jul 2018: The "comb" that serves as the binding is and was a weak spot. Too late for some copies of this book (we've gone through at least one per child) but I've seen people use yarn to tie it back together.
Most of one-year-old DD#2's original copy survives, but we went ahead and purchased the larger-sized Special Edition for her anyway. In addition to being significantly bigger, it also includes two features which were in the 1940s version but were dropped later. The child can rattle a button box, and there's a dolly which has a ball that one can squeak (with some difficulty). It's easy to see why these two features are not in the typical modern presentation: they're just not as good as the peek-a-boo, stick-your-finger-in-the-ring and so on. It's nice that they're there, but DD#2 doesn't spend the same amount of time grappling with them as she does with the others.
December 27, 2018
This unexpurgated edition, with two experimental pages that were replaced with the mirror and smelly flowers, is worth the splurge for true literary scholars. You can see why they were cut - while mommy's rattling button box is fun, dolly's squeaky ball is next to impossible to use, unless you slam the book down on the table and then it squeaks great, and both add a lot of expense in manufacturing. My 6 month old doesn't seem to care for much except the bunny, which apparently, from what I can tell looking at original editions for sale, was made of a fuzzy fabric, because fake fur wasn't common in 1940, so this book is a tale of the potential value of constant editorial refinement in classic literature. So here you have it, the completest version of Pat ever compiled. (Recommended: academic, supplementary.)
December 24, 2007
Three things I love about this book:
1. The smell of the flowers
2. The weird retro look of the family
3. How my daughter reacts to the book: Examples:
Instead of patting the bunny, she PRESSES it really hard. She delights in playing peek-a-boo with Paul. Oh, and she says that "daddy" looks like me, her mommy.
1. The smell of the flowers
2. The weird retro look of the family
3. How my daughter reacts to the book: Examples:
Instead of patting the bunny, she PRESSES it really hard. She delights in playing peek-a-boo with Paul. Oh, and she says that "daddy" looks like me, her mommy.
April 11, 2024
"Judy can pat the bunny. Now YOU pat the bunny."
2/1001 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2/1001 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
July 26, 2017
This was really sweet, and encourages interaction between child and book. Awesome.
The kids in our family are a bit too old for this already, but now I'm hoping for a new addition to the family, so I'll have an excuse to go buy this book...
The kids in our family are a bit too old for this already, but now I'm hoping for a new addition to the family, so I'll have an excuse to go buy this book...
July 23, 2018
Lovely lil book! ^_^
September 13, 2012
I did not own a Pat the Bunny book (that I remember, anyway) but I believe I had nieces and nephews with this book. I love this book. I've spent time in bookstores patting the bunny.
June 7, 2015
Ohmygoodness, I remember reading this with my brother when he was only... maybe one? At least 14 years ago now - how is that possible?!
August 2, 2025
I could play peek-a-boo with Paul for hours.
August 6, 2007
Bunnies disgust me.
June 12, 2018
ok as far as little kids books go.
what sets it apart is the book within a book called judy's book which wonders about a bunny's conception of time.
what sets it apart is the book within a book called judy's book which wonders about a bunny's conception of time.
May 1, 2024
The OG Interactive book
January 23, 2026
Just bought the new board book edition released earlier this month. How has it been 86 years since Pat the Bunny’s original publication and only now have they thought to publish it in a more sturdy format?
May 2, 2025
Always a good time with Paul and Judy
January 4, 2025
Grandma was supposed to send a review for this one but despite multiple reminders from her son, she forgot to do so.
September 21, 2018
Pat the Bunny is the book that most of us remember growing up with. I had no idea it had been around since 1940, but I imagine that since its first publication every subsequent generation has experienced it in some form. The reason it is such a classic? Its beautiful simplicity. The book blends easy language with tactile enrichment. While the book is simple, its scope automatically deepens with the layers the young reader can delve into. It is a book to be read, touched, smelled, and heard. It's a book, but also an experience. How can a child get bored?
I can remember the soft bunny and stroking it with the turn of a page. I remember the day my finger no longer fit quite so well through the mother's ring, and how my own dad's face was just as scratchy as the one in the book. I can remember being so happy when I could read Judy's book on my own, though my first experience of reading was Hop on Pop. I still remember the joy this book brought into my life
In short, this book is a classic and I never see it losing that status. Simplicity and tactile pleasure are a winning combination in any children's book, and in my life this was the book I first experienced that with.
I can remember the soft bunny and stroking it with the turn of a page. I remember the day my finger no longer fit quite so well through the mother's ring, and how my own dad's face was just as scratchy as the one in the book. I can remember being so happy when I could read Judy's book on my own, though my first experience of reading was Hop on Pop. I still remember the joy this book brought into my life
In short, this book is a classic and I never see it losing that status. Simplicity and tactile pleasure are a winning combination in any children's book, and in my life this was the book I first experienced that with.
August 23, 2017
There are several books that trigger memories of my youth. This is one of those books.
And the amazing thing about this book is that a copy has managed to make it into the household of every new baby that comes into our family. Pat the Bunny is definitely a nursery room standard.
And the amazing thing about this book is that a copy has managed to make it into the household of every new baby that comes into our family. Pat the Bunny is definitely a nursery room standard.
April 4, 2019
My son loved this book as a little guy.
June 29, 2019
Loved this book as a child! The first book I bought for my first child when I found out I was pregnant.
August 26, 2020
Everything else is rubbish until we get to put our finger through Mummy's RING.
Sometimes C hugs the bunny instead of pats it.
Sometimes C hugs the bunny instead of pats it.
July 24, 2013
This year for Easter, my little boy got a basket of books. He also received some small stuffed animals and a little chocolate, but mostly he got books. He loved it. And he loved this book to pieces, literally. In fact, after I write this review I will have to try to mend the book.
I bought this book for his Easter basket because it was on the South Carolina Libraries list of 100 Picture Books for Toddlers. I did not own this book as a child and my mom won't admit to owning a copy. Before I purchased the book, I read some scathing reviews, so I was hesitant, but I figured with a matching rabbit I couldn't go too far wrong.
I should say, as if you don't already know, my son at two-and-a-half is a toddler and probably the exact market for whom this book is written. And he loves it! He would not put it down, except reluctantly for bath-time for a week. I can't tell you exactly what he loves so much about it because he seems to enjoy every page. This book appeals to all his sense (alas, even taste) in every sense.
If I am lacking in supplies and skill to mend this particular copy, I will be looking for another, hardier version, because he really wants this book back.
I bought this book for his Easter basket because it was on the South Carolina Libraries list of 100 Picture Books for Toddlers. I did not own this book as a child and my mom won't admit to owning a copy. Before I purchased the book, I read some scathing reviews, so I was hesitant, but I figured with a matching rabbit I couldn't go too far wrong.
I should say, as if you don't already know, my son at two-and-a-half is a toddler and probably the exact market for whom this book is written. And he loves it! He would not put it down, except reluctantly for bath-time for a week. I can't tell you exactly what he loves so much about it because he seems to enjoy every page. This book appeals to all his sense (alas, even taste) in every sense.
If I am lacking in supplies and skill to mend this particular copy, I will be looking for another, hardier version, because he really wants this book back.
November 26, 2019
Introducing two children - Paul and Judy - the narrator of this simple interactive book for young children invites the reader to join them in various activities, from patting a furry white bunny to playing peekaboo with a towel. Feeling Daddy's scratchy face, and reading a story (about a bunny, of course!) are also included in the delights here...
Originally published in 1940, Pat the Bunny is an established classic of American children's literature, and was quite ground-breaking in its day, offering an interactive experience to young child reader/listeners that was quite unique. Well-conceived and well-designed, it has stood the test of time, even though plenty of other interactive books for toddlers have surfaced in the intervening years. Somehow I missed this one, when a child myself, but I can see why it is so popular, and have frequently recommended it to patrons of the various bookstores where I have worked.
Originally published in 1940, Pat the Bunny is an established classic of American children's literature, and was quite ground-breaking in its day, offering an interactive experience to young child reader/listeners that was quite unique. Well-conceived and well-designed, it has stood the test of time, even though plenty of other interactive books for toddlers have surfaced in the intervening years. Somehow I missed this one, when a child myself, but I can see why it is so popular, and have frequently recommended it to patrons of the various bookstores where I have worked.
April 2, 2016
I, the mom reading this over and over to her toddler, dislike the flower-page smell and am slightly annoyed by the ferociously cheerful tone of the text (you can do things, too!). But it is a classic. It is charming. And my toddler, the (pre)reader whose opinion actually matters, loves it. I think the biggest draw for her is the variety of things to do. Instead of just touching several different textures, she actually does different things: look in a mirror, lift a flap, put her finger through a hole in the page, etc. I don't think she understands sniffing the flowers yet though. (She's 1.5 years.) She just shoves her nose into the book because that's what I modeled.
March 21, 2012
My three kids (6, 4, and 2) enjoy reading this sweet book before bedtime. What makes it so appealing is that it's more than just a touch and feel book--it uses so many senses. Besides patting the bunny and feeling daddy's whiskers, you also smell the flowers, lift a cloth to play peek-a-boo, turn little tiny pages on a little tiny book, and fit your finger through Mummy's ring. One of the first tactile books and definitely one of the best. I like the simple artwork.
February 4, 2017
One of the earliest touch-and-feel books feels incredibly dated now but I like it for the fact that it was a text created by Kundhardt to bring reading experiences closer to the very young. Published in the 30s, Kundhardt was looking for something to engage her infant daughter in reading and since these types of books are still going strong today, it could be argued that she found an idea which worked well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 508 reviews