Runaway Bunny

Brown, M. W., & Hurd, C. (2005). The runaway bunny. NY:HarperCollins Children’s Books.

ISBN#: 978-0-06-0777582-7

Summary:

One day the little bunny wants to run away from his home. His mother loves him so much that she will follow him wherever he goes.

When the little bunny wants to be a fish in a river, his mother wants to become a fisherman to find the little bunny. When the little bunny wants to be a bird, his mother wants to become a home tree for the bird. When the little bunny wants to be a sailboat, his mother wants to become the wind and blow him to home.

Finally, little bunny is touched by the great love of his mother, and he wants to stay home to be with his mother.

Why use it:

This is book was first printed in 1942 and is a classic book for children.

I am touched by the mother bunny’s tender love which gives security to her little bunny, and also I am fond of little bunny’s courageous experiment to try to run away from home.

The book is illustrated by Clement Hurd, a famous children book illustrator. His collaboration with the author Margaret Wise Brown is perfect. The pictures are really creative, cozy and beautiful.

I think this book is very good for the children of 3 to 5 years old, because they will deeply feel fun, warmth, faith, love and beauty in this story.

Provocations:

1.   To use a little table in the corner, decorate it like a tree hollow home for bunnies, and put one big and one small stuffed animal bunnies and also fresh carrots in the little home.

2.   To make several copies of the last page of mother bunny and little bunny eating carrots together, and put them on the wall, near the book shelf and on the door.

Four Ways to present the book:

1.   Felt Story

I will use the black background felt board we made during class time, and get the complete set of ready-made felt pieces from CraftWork.

2.   Story Basket

I will have a big straw basket and a cloth cover. Inside of it, I will have all the props, including 2 stuffed animal bunnies, fish, fishing rod with carrot on, rock, ropes, outdoor hat, flower, barrow and shovel, bird, tree, sailboat, flying trapeze, rocking chair, and carrots.

3.   Story Yoga

I will tell the story verbally using the picture book, and go through different postures of little bunny in different scenes, including

fish,

mountain,

flower,

bird,

boat,

flying trapeze,

rocking the baby.

For every posture, I will use the relevant prop (from the story basket) to show to the children, and make the stuffed animal bunny as a model to demonstrate how to make the posture. And I will do it myself together with them.

4.   Paint the story

When I tell the story, at each scene, I will paint the relevant picture in a very simple way on a big piece of paper, and paste each one on a wall.

I will need paint of 3 basic colors in 3 little jars, 1 palette, 1 medium brush and 8 big pieces of paper. And I will need to prepare a clear wall and scotch tapes before presenting the story.

During reading the story, I will stop when the little bunny said he will become a fish and swim away from his mother, and I will wonder what his mother will say. I will let children wonder together and speak out some of their thoughts. Then later, I will stop when the little bunny said he will become a sailboat and sail away from his mother, and I will say “I wonder what his mother will reply”, because I think it is such an inspiring and creative answer that his mother wants to become the wind to blow her little bunny home.

I will not chunk this book since it is a short story.

Extensions:

1.   Discovery

We could have 2 white pet bunnies in the classroom. Children could observe and listen to them everyday, and take turn to take care of the bunnies. Also we could plant carrots in the garden and feed the bunnies when the carrots are ready.

2.   Painting

I could organize painting activity and ask the children to paint bunnies based on their observation and imagination.

3.   Exploration

We could go to visit the Maplewood Farm, and ask the children to search for the bunny’s room. We could go into the bunny’s room, and children could touch the bunnies, see them hopping, and feed them. Coming out of the bunny room, we could try to find some trees with hollow which could be bunny’s home.

---