Sunday, May 23, 2010

That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown


I picked this up at the Scholastic Warehouse Sale for my almost-4 year old and it has become an instant favorite. That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown is written by Cressida Cowell, of How to Train Your Dragon fame; like those books, this one has a little edge and quite a lot of humor.


Emily Brown and her rabbit, Stanley, have many adventures. So many, that they catch the eye of the queen, who immediately decides she wants Stanley (or Bunnywunny, as she insists on calling him) for herself. She sends the army, the navy, even the air force, begging, bribing and finally commanding Emily Brown to turn him over. Naturally, Emily refuses. At last, the "silly, naughty queen" sends her special commandos to steal Stanley in the night.


Emily storms the castle, rescues the now-pink Stanley -- "His name is not Bunnywunny!" -- and explains to the queen the secret of creating a real toy of her own.

Emily is strong and likable, the plot is funny with lots of opportunity for silly accents if you're into that sort of thing for your bedtime reading, and the illustrations by Neal Layton are a nice blend of collage and sketch and watercolor. Having read it every night for the last week, I can tell you that it hasn't gotten old for me yet, which is a good thing, because my daughter shows no signs of letting it go anytime soon.

A great book for any child with a special "lovey." It's been around for a while, so it may be at your public library. Otherwise, snag a paperback at your local Scholastic Warehouse Sale. It's a cutie.

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