Knuffle Bunny (Mo Willems, Hyperian Books for Children, 2004)

Mo Willems has come full circle for my family – his Elephant and Piggy books are regularly being sent home as part of my daughter’s reading program, and I now realise he created Knuffle Bunny, which was a discovery of ours over five years ago. Mr. Williams may be our family’s favorite picture book author right now.

On to Knuffle Bunny – this book is highly relatable for children and parents alike, as you’d be hard pressed to find a child that doesn’t have a favourite stuffy, hasn’t misplaced it, and whose parents haven’t searched high and low for it. Some parents have possibly even asked their daycare to open up after hours to retrieve said stuffed animal…but I digress. Parents who have managed their child’s temper tantrum and ‘boneless’ physique will empathise with Trixie’s Dad. And then there are the times when one parent is at a complete loss as to what is causing their child’s outburst of emotion, and the other identifies problem in a split second. The real photographs from Brooklyn, NY, which form the background for every page, are a neat touch, especially for suburbanites like me who ponder what family living in a big city would be like.