Little Bunny Foo Foo: Told And Sung By The Good Fairy

by Paul Brett Johnson

Little Bunny Foo Foo / Hoppin' through the forest / Scoopin' up the field mice / And boppin' 'em on the head.... This kid pleasing, sing-along song is now a hilarious book.

In this irresistible book it's not just field mice that suffer Little Bunny Foo Foo's mischievous tricks, but woodchucks, foxes, & grizzly bears! And as LBFF's subjects grow so do his scooping methods, from lasso to tractor bucket to crane. All the while, LBFF takes his naughtiness to hyperbolic heights as the Good Fairy--hilariously rendered as a possum--points out the error of his wayward ways w/ humor & spunk. Painted in a warm, folksy style w/ vibrant colors & soft edges, Johnson strikes just the right balance between the joys of being bad & a tongue-in-cheek lesson in behavioral reform.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Rabbits, Animals, Nursery Rhymes, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Paul Brett was a painter and children’s book writer/illustrator who grew up in the small town of Mousie, Kentucky, in Knott County. He was asked once in an interview to locate Mousie. He said: “Mousie is over there around Onion Blade, Dismal, Possum Trot, Sassafras, and Right and Left Beaver. But, if you haven’t been to Knott County, you may not be able to locate those places, either.”
That response was quintessential Paul Brett Johnson, a man of deep humor, good will, and immense artistic talent who honored his mountain upbringing in his work. Because he showed talent as a young child, his parents secured art lessons for him, and he made drawing and painting his life’s work.
After nearly a decade of trying to break through in the children’s book market, he finally saw success in 1993 with the release of The Cow Who Wouldn’t Come Down, a School Library Journal Best Book, an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, and one of the New York Public Library's "One Hundred Books for Reading and Sharing." He eventually produced two companion books of these funny, outrageous tales of a farm woman and her adventurous animals, The Goose Who Went Off in a Huff, and The Pig Who Ran a Red Light. His art was whimsical, colorful, and full of motion that delighted children and adults alike. He was most fond of giving animals a sly (and hilarious) sense of humor and keen intelligence—traits that often matched his own. Eventually he wrote and illustrated over 20 books for children and served as illustrator for several other children’s book writers including George Ella Lyon, James Still, and Margaret Hodges.

Reviews

[Carlton Campbell]

A picture book to go with the song of the naughty bunny "Foo Foo" who bops forest animals on the head and keeps misbehaving, despite warnings from the Good Fairy. In this version, Foo Foo is using mud pies to bop the heads of foxes, muskrats, and even bears! The Good Fairy interjects among verses of the song to show her disapproval. She even engages the audience by asking questions like "Do you think he listened?" A good read aloud for younger students and a good mentor text for older students to show point of view and voice.

[Dolly]

Our youngest has been singing this song around the house lately and making up funny lyrics of her own to go along with it, so when I saw this book at our local library, I just knew that I had to borrow it.

The author changed the song somewhat for the book and his very vibrant illustrations show how the little bunny became more and more adventurous with his bopping activities. It's a silly tale and I'm sure it will appeal to small children.

The music score and original lyrics are also included at the end of the book for those who are Little Bunny Foo Foo fans.

[Nichole]

This book is so funny!

[E.S.]

Paul Brett Johnson illustrates Little Bunny Foo Foo, a hilarious book narrated by The Good Fairy (a fictional character in the story). The book features text that is both read and sung. It’s easy to differentiate between the text that is sung and the text that is written; the text that is sung is in purple and the text that is written is in black. The book is about a naughty bunny who goes around bopping various forest creatures on the head. Despite the good fairy’s many chances and warnings she gives the bunny, the bunny just won’t stop! Finally, the good fairy has a had enough and turns him into a goon, leaving children with the punny lesson “Hare today and goon tomorrow!”
The song itself is repetitious and easy to remember. All children have to do is sing “Little Bunny Foo Foo, hopping through the forest, scoopin’ up the [insert animal] and boppin’ ‘em on the head.” It’s easy to tell which animal will be sung because the animals appear on the page. Most of the animals are familiar, except for maybe the woodchucks.
This book features many moments for dialogical reading (the text will ask things like “Do you think he was up to something nice?”) and there are also moments where the reader can do a different voice for the Good Fairy. It’s a very entertaining story that should entertain readers. The vocabulary might be too complicated at some points and children may or may not get the pun at the end, depending on how old they are.
The illustrations aren’t detailed at all and almost look like crayon drawings, only perhaps a little smoother. The illustrations usually feature the forest as a background, with Little Bunny Foo Foo, the Good Fairy, and whatever animals the bunny is terrorizing. The illustrations aren’t too busy. The colors aren’t as bright, except for the Good Fairy’s ensemble; the background is mostly green and brown and Little Bunny Foo Foo is a very neutral color.
Because of these factors, I would recommend this book for ages 4 and up. This book could probably be read and sung to a 3-year-old, but the moral of the story might not be understood.

[Sarah]

A picture book to go with the song of the naughty bunny "Foo Foo" who bops forest animals on the head and keeps misbehaving, despite warnings from the Good Fairy. In this version, Foo Foo is using mud pies to bop the heads of foxes, muskrats, and even bears! The Good Fairy interjects among verses of the song to show her disapproval. She even engages the audience by asking questions like "Do you think he listened?" A fun read aloud (and sing-along) for younger students and a good mentor text for older students to show point of view and voice.

This is an example of a book that children like more than I do. It's a winner in story time.

[Vivian]

This version of the story has a twist. Each time Bunny Foo Foo uses up one of his chances it is on a different forest animal -- first mice, next woodchucks, next foxes, and finally grizzly bears! Which means the story would work with a variety of story time themes--fairies, wishes (chances), forest animals, Groundhog Day (woodchucks), and even Being Naughty.

One little girl told me "you did it wrong" and then she demonstrated how I should have done it. So I said to the group, "Let's do it again" and we did it her suggested way. It was all great fun.

[Mandy]

This is such a fun book to read to little ones. We picked it up from the library and had to find a copy for home because my 1.5 year old daughter loves it so much.

[Tara Olson Kazda]

Good for spring storytimes though I have to say not one child, in my storytime experience, has ever gotten the little word play on the last page.

[Jennifer]

A fun take on the classic song. The story is told from the point of view of the good fairy with lots of asides to the reader. A great group read aloud to get the kids involved and the pictures are fun, too!

[Isabel Van Heyningen]

It is best to sing along to, rather than read. Though I appreciate the book's interpretation of a 'goon'. I was able to tell the kids I sang/read the story to that a goon was another word for a clown.

[Lauren]

Very similar to the song, except they add more than just field mice. The illustrations were cute and it’s a quick read. Got it for $1.00 at a book bizarre which I highly recommend getting it for cheap if you can.

[Nessie]

This looks fun! Can't wait to try it out on my story time kids!

[Lexie]

Definitely using for story time

[Jenna]

So cute!

[Susan Molloy]

Ha! Very funny and delightfully entertaining.

💥 Recommended.

[Sarah Brooks]

My daughter loved the singing part of this book. It was different, since Little Bunny Foo Foo didn't just bop field mice on the head.

[Kelly Taylor]

I love this classic nursery rhyme, but the illustrations are just terrible. They're going for a Spy vs. Spy style on the fairy, and it's not working very well.

[Carli]

one of my favorites as a kid. i wish my copy wasn't so worn down and new ones weren't $40 on amazon

[Zoe Franklin]

my preschoolers love when i read this book

[Jennifer]

I like that this book is from the fairy's perspective. I read this book to a one-year-old and a kindergartner. The first page had too many words on it. I asked the kindergartner to identify each animal and to tell me how they felt. He enjoyed telling me the thought the bunny was going to behave. At the end of the story, the bunny got turned into a good, which they portrayed as a clown. I taught them the hand motions, but our flashlight batteries are dead so we couldn't do hand puppets.

Interest Level
Grades PreK - K

[Samantha]

A great read aloud version of the classic children's song with commentary by the The Good Fairy.

I really liked the side comments and the silly exploits of Little Bunny Foo Foo; he bopped all of the animals on the head with mud pies (a nice touch in my opinion).

The familiar verses of the song make for a good refrain that keeps the story moving along and invites the audience to sing along.

[Dylan Reisz]

I learned how to say the word "Goon." Also, Bunny Foo Foo is very naughty and is undeterred by the Good Fairy's warnings. Even after he gets turned into a goon, he still returns to his yucky mucky mud pies. I appreciate Foo Foo's tenacious spirit.

[Duane]

I used this book in a preschool storyhour and it really didn't go over very well. The artwork really isn't that good in my opinion. I think the song goes much better with simple fingerplay. A nice feature of the book though is the entire song with melody is included at the end.

[Jennifer]

The classic song told and sung by the good Fairy. The story does change a little as Little Bunny Foo Foo boos not only mice, but also woodchucks, foxes and bears! Funny illustrations. It would be fun to use as a way to teach the song.

[Betsy]

My little girl (5) LOVED this book and we both found it to be a good "storytelling" book (with the finger movements and the sing-song stanza). It makes a great single-person storytime or small group read-aloud for the PK set.

[Robyn Jones]

The first time I read this book to my little guy I laughed till I cried. I'm not sure what hit my funny bone so much, but I just loved that Little Bunny Foo Foo was a total stinker, and worse every page. A couple years later it's still one of my go-to bedtime books.

[Robin Gassen]

This book is cute. Most children have heard of the song that goes with this story and it is good to see the visuals that go with it. The pictures are colorful and bright which will capture any child's attention.

[Stephanie Fujii]

I remember hearing the song in catechism. It is something that I have sung to Amaya a few times here and there. But tonight we read it for the first time and have already read it four or five times. She likes the song and the fact that this version includes cranes and tractors!

[Angela]

Brittany got this book from her Gma. I like how it takes the song and puts it into book form. Good kid book.

[Michele]

Very fun illustrations to go with a well known song. Music and complete lyrics at the end.