Book #4: Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

The fifth book that I will be reviewing is Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.

Published in 2004, ages 0-5

I am so excited to be telling you about this book! My friend and colleague, Michela, told me it was her favorite book and I have to say it is now one of my favorites too. I read this book to my daughter and was laughing out loud at it because it reminded me so much of her.

The story is of a baby who has a "Knuffle Bunny" lovey that she carries with her whereever she goes. In the book, her father and her walk down the street to the laundromat to do the laundry. While there, the Knuffle Bunny gets thrown into the laundry machine. The baby freaks out and in baby talk tries to communicate what has happened. The father has no idea what she is saying. They return home and the mother asks, "Where is Knuffle Bunny?, and they all take off to retrieve it.

This book was hysterical to me because my daughter is at the precise age as the baby in the book. She often tries to communicate with us and gets frusterated when we can't understand her. Furthermore, her lovey, "Bert the Cat" is equally important to her.

I particularly enjoyed the illustrations in this book. They are black and white photos of real city buildings (such as a Laundromat) combined with colorful drawings of the characters. The illustrations held my daughters attention and she sat still for the entire book. Which, for a 22 month old, is no small feat.

I also enjoyed the vocabulary used in the book. Ordinary everday words are used such as "block", "errand" and "realized" as well as interesting adjectives such as "bawled" and "boneless".

If you have a toddler, or have a had a toddler, this is a must read!