The Bunnies Are Not in Their Beds

by Marisabina Russo

At last—a bedtime book that is rhythmic and soothing, but also filled with fun.

Nighttime has come, and the little bunnies are in bed. Good night, good night, sleep tight.

But wait, what's that noise? Chuga-chuga-chuga . Sounds like the bunnies have left their beds. Mama and Daddy come to their room and lay down the law. No more tracks, no more trains, they say. And all is quiet until . . . zoom, zoom, vroom! Sounds like the bunnies are at it again. Will Mama and Daddy ever get them to sleep? Or will the parents fall asleep first— exhausted? And then what will those mischievous bunnies get into?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Rabbits, Fiction, Kids

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 23, 2007

Reviews

[Tamar...playing hooky for a few hours today · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bunnies Are Not in Their Beds by Marisabina Russo is one of our (that's me and my grandchildren) favorite books. It doesn't matter how many times I read this and it doesn't seem to matter if they are two or ten years old - arms and legs are everywhere vying for the spot closest to to me and the book. And every time I read the words "....What is that noise?" there is a resounding chorus of "SOUNDS LIKE THE BUNNIES ARE NOT IN THEIR BEDS"

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow... those bunnies are brats. Way to go, Mama and Daddy!

I don't think I would've related to this one when I was a kid. Bedtime was bedtime, and my sister and I didn't have a problem with that. We weren't the type to get up and go play, which is what happens (over and over and over) in this book. I have a feeling I would've just been annoyed at these silly rabbit kids for disobeying their parents. (Oh, and if you can't get your kids to sleep because they have trains and horses and cars and a full brass band in their room... maybe it's time to rethink where you store their toys.)

The illustrations are passably cute, but this book felt way longer than it actually was. Definitely not a favourite.

[Ally McCulloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and cute.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

An absolutely terrible book. I have no idea what function the adult bunnies in the book were supposed to serve, but it certainly wasn't that of parents, since they were clearly unable to execute discipline (or even, apparently, fathom the concept in any form). It's one thing to have book show naughty children - children are naughty, fine. It's quite another to have overt, blatant disobedience shown 4-5 times (I can't recall how many times the "parents" went up the stairs to tell their demon children to go to bed), with absolutely no consequences. And "being too tired to stay awake" is not a consequence.

No, I'm not kidding with this review. Yes, I used scare quotes for parents on purpose. This book seriously pissed me off.

[Kristin Fletcher-spear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so I get why some people gave this one star purely for the naughtiness of the disobeying bunnies and if my kiddos tried it with me they'd find that some of their toys would be taken away. But as a bedtime story and a read aloud, this is really successful. After the first time the parents went upstairs Charlie was saying the repetition along with me and guessing what the parents would find (bunnies not in their beds is what he said each time). I think kids enjoy living vicariously through naughty kids in books as a way to see our reactions. By performing the parents part with more emphasis on them being short and upset with the bunnies your kid would get that you wouldn't be happy if they did it too.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because I needed the book to tell my kid that it's ok if you don't listen to your parents (with no consequences for disobeying) and that they should just wait until mom and dad go to bed, then they can do whatever they want! I didn't like it, and lucky for me there haven't been any requests to repeat the story either.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable with a great repeating rhyme babies and toddlers will love

[Abby Peskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parents think their baby bunnies are in bed and asleep, but to their surprise they hear noises upstairs that indicate there is more playing happening than sleeping. How many times will parents need to check on them before the little bunnies will go to sleep?

[Emaline A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER! It's my entire childhhood. You should definitly read it! This book is such a fun and perfect light hearted read even for adults! 10 out of 10 would recomend. If a 10 star was possible than it would be that for sure!

[Lisa Medeiros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty repetitive, even for a baby/children's book. Relative to the rhythm/repetitiveness of "No More Monkeys..." but a bit longer if a read. The imagery is cute and engaging for my 4 month old. Rating is more like a 3.5.

[Cheyenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are subtly funny, but not a great story to teach kids, lol.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The struggle is real. It's like Russo peered through my windows and then wrote about us, thinly disguised as a family of bunnies.

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book applies to both children and actual bunnies

[Colorado Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

these are BAD BUNNIES! they don't listen to their parents. It is pretty cute though. But, really, where is the discipline? ha.

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 1 out of 5]

The bunnies are super naughty. I would not read this again.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute night-night book and the perils of bedtime shenanigans kids put us through.

[Charlie Stubbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A favorite!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three little bunnies are put to bed, but their parents have to tell them several times to stop playing and go back to bed. Cute ending to this nicely illustrated story. Board book.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

Ages: 3 - 6

Here’s a few of our bedtime favs: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: the bunnies do not obey their parents.

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[Rykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this book doesn't get full stars because it the bunnies are so disrespectful to their parents, but this has been my kids some nights. However, the book got giggles out of my four year old, who was very excited to say the bunnies were not in their beds each time. It resulted in my little one commenting on how they were very bad little bunnies, so at least he seems to get that the story was not meant to be an example of what kids should do. It made an excellent bed time story, and the giggles at the naughty little bunnies made my night. Extra bonus, the bunny parents are Mama and Daddy, just like my little one says. That just made for all the more giggles.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bedtime for Frances for the truly naughty. Rather seeking company or comfort from their parents or quieting down, these bunnies stay up making a ruckus together, outlasting their parents and taking their noisy play all over the house. The story is structured with great repetition and enjoyable reveals as the parents troop back upstairs over and over to see what those bunnies are doing to make so much noise.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ineffective parenting is met with an escalating arms race of disobedient noise and fun. Ultimately, once the spineless parents are rendered useless and removed from the equation, the children fail to really capitalize on the situation. This proves that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, as both parties ultimately end up weak. The mild mannered disciplinarians and the rebels without a cause are perfect for each other.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bunnies are in bed. Or are they? Mama and Daddy repeatedly check on the little bunnies to find them playing with various toys and not in their beds.

A good read aloud for small groups of children. Every other picture is too small for larger groups. A great bedtime story for all parents, especially those who will identify with the multiple attempts to put kids to bed.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was humorous to see the bunnies' mischief, even while feeling sorry for the parents. (Great illustrations, by the way, and fabulous in portraying some things in the smaller details.) It's fun, however I don't think I'd want to use it in storytime because I don't want to encourage any young bunnies to stay up and play--especially considering the end of this book!

[Eva Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one had really great pictures in it. It's about three bunnies who just can't keep quiet, but that's because they want to stay up late like their mama and daddy and the big bunnies. I don't get why they don't just stay quiet. That's what I do and it's not that hard. But then I'm just one girl and not three bunnies.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable read aloud about three bunnies who just are too active to go to sleep. Kids are thrilled when the bunnies stay awake longer than their parents but it is also believable that kids can't outlast their parents for that long. Cute!

[Bree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Notes:
books that make disobeying look cute are not one we will read again -- especially after finding my kids out of bed saying they were being like the 'bunnies who weren't in their beds' -- no way.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at Pajama Story Time on 7/18/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

Read at preschool story time at Redland Baptist church on 5/3/17: https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com...