Customer Reviews

Bunny School: A Learning Fun-for-All

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Bunny School takes the reader through a full school day with a classroom full of cute little rabbits. The story is written in rhyming verse, so it's a lot of fun to read and it has a nice 'beat'. The rhyming is very nicely done. The story does not feature one single main character, rather, the story takes you through all of the activities that the bunnies do together as a class.

I like the way the story is told. It could have come off as impersonal because the story is not told through a main character's point of view -- it is basically a narration giving a general overview of the school day. But to the contrary, the artwork adds such expressiveness to the characters and imbues each with such personality, that you feel like you are following each individual bunny's progress throughout their day.

The art appears to be done in colored pencil and watercolor, and proves to be a great marriage of the two. I like how the bunnies features and bodies are really truly "bunny"-like, but they still have a sense of whimsy and fantasy about them - sort of in the Beatrix Potter school of bunny, but with a style all their own. Design-wise, the illustrations also take up the ENTIRE spread on each page, save for the overlaid curved-edged box containing each spreads' text. So many books these days have designs that intermingle the art and the text. While I enjoy these types of books, for my money there's nothing like a good ol', old-school, full-page color picture book done in a classic style once in awhile, and Bunny School delivers this.

The compositions themselves are really interesting and well thought out. They are easy on the eyes but are deceptively complicated. I am sure it was a lot of work to make them look this interesting. The viewer does not see the labor though. All the viewer sees is a fun illustration that is endlessly interesting, but they're not exactly sure why.(This is a compliment to "Bunny School" artist Paige Miglio!)

Most of the spreads have many characters, and often, they are engaged in various independent activities. It's fun to see what each of the individual characters are doing on each page against each page's story text. This adds a lot to the story and it is so much fun to find new things to look at each time I look at a spread.

"Bunny School" is one of my favorite picture books in my personal collection. It's just a total comfort read for me.

I'm a mother of three and grandmother of three. But I'm writing to represent a seven-year old child that I once was. Why? Because my favorite book as a child, which I read over and over and over, and memorized, and even sang along with by myself (making up my own melodies to suit the rhythm and words), was a Golden Book of children's POEMS, with realistic colorful illustrations, just as I've found in this book! I agree with the other reviewers, that this would be a great read-aloud book for your little one's preparation to start school, but DON'T STOP THERE at preschool age! I'm going to gift this Bunny book, and probably the other ones in the series, to my six-year-old, first-grade granddaughter (as an Early Reader), because of my fond memories of that book of poetry that I had all those years ago. It's more than fifty-years old now, and I still have it on a shelf above my desk in my office where I write. It's the best way to encourage early readers to READ! Rhyme and beautiful pictures. I wasn't a pre-schooler when my Dad bought it for me. I was old enough to read it myself--second grade. He loved poetry, so he probably couldn't resist buying it for me for that reason. Actually, I memorized most of those poems back then. I was an "only child" with nothing to do but occupy myself, by myself. The poems in the book became my passport to other places to see other people. They included stories about things like a General Store with a tinkly bell hung over the door (my favorite); a policeman called "My Policeman", who was always standing there at the corner of the square; a "...Little Turtle" who caught a mosquito, and he caught a flea, He caught the minnow, but he didn't catch me!". But I'll never forget "The Cupboard" because in that story, a little boy "knew a little cupboard with a teeny tiny key, and there's a jar of Lollypops for me, me, me. He had a small fat Grandmamma with a very slippery knee, the keeper of the Cupboard with the key key key." I still remember how she wore her white hair up in a bun (just like my Nanna did), and had on a a long purple dress and white apron. She had a smiling face and rosy cheeks (something like Mrs. Santa Clause might look). I remember a little boy standing patiently behind her as she opened the cupboard to get him some "...Banburry Cakes and lollypops for me, me, me!" But that was only when he was "very good my dear, as good as good can be." Can you see the long-term effect that detailed pictures and a story in rhyme can have on a child? And let's not forget my favorite squirrel friend. I was a city girl, and squirrels are very urban-residential beings. So I related to that poem too, titled appropriately, "The Squirrel". I know he was "whisky, frisky, Hippity, Hop", and "up he would go, to the tree top!" But my most memorable line was the end that asked "Where's his supper? In the shell. Snappity, crackity, Out it fell!" Maybe that's why I keep a boglass stemmed bold of peanuts at my front door entry, to throw out to my neighborhood squirrel families all year. Chicago has brutal winters, and they count on me to supply them with enough to hide for the winter. Maybe it's because of this book of poetry? This delightful book about bunnies in school is a work of literary and fine art genius, not to be limited to pre-schoolers to enjoy. I think this is an excellent introduction, not only to school, but also to art and poetry, for a primary-grade child. I never outgrew those poems. Poetry lasts forever, that's why we still read "The Night Before Christmas" and Twinkle Twinkle to every new generation! And what about that Grinch Who Stole Christmas? Poetry never goes out of style! Who knows, if you read this type of story to your daughter, with all the detailed images and rhythmic sounds she will experience in a book like this, she may become a poet or an artist (or both--like I did). That's why I must recommend this book so highly. I appreciate all that went into it, and hope others will use books like this to introduce their little ones to the joy of poetry, and a true appreciation for fine art that went into every detail of this book! Did anyone else notice the desk with two cute bunny-kids seated at a table way back in the distance, in a far corner of an empty classroom, where there is a cute bunny who's wearing a floral backpack, speaking to her teacher (who's wearing a brown vest) in the open doorway in the foreground of the page? You can find it in the preview pages here on the Amazon site, if you want to take a look. I don't know which is my favorite. That one, or the adorable bunny stretching on her tiptoes to reach the fountain in the hall to get a drink of water, while a line of three bunny-kids forms behind her. I can't describe how much I relate to that picture, since, fully grown, and fifty-nine years old, now, I'm still only 4'11" (don't think I'll ever get any taller), and I've spent a great deal of time on my toes trying to reach things my whole life! That picture is also on the preview pages here on the website. Those are details that, not only would an artist notice, but also, and ESPECIALLY--a child! Children stare intently at pictures in books, and they don't miss a thing! And they especially love the sound of stories told in rhythm and rhyme! That's why Mother Goose and Dr. Suess are so famous! REALLY!

Say their names again, aloud. What an odd coincidence! I never noticed that before now when I just typed their names. REALLY. . . have you? "Goose....Seuss"....Who knew?

Rick Walton has written a sweet and informative book especially for those anxious children heading off to preschool or Kindergarten for the first time.

It is also good for the more experienced child. My little one adores her preschool but is off for the summer. She really misses her class and all the fun things they do--just like the things the bunnies do at their school. The story is very realistic when it comes to an average day. It helps her to relive the happy times she's had in her school and to look forward to another year.

The illustrations by Paige Miglio are heartwarming--very cute and skillfully drawn. Just to let you know the author and illustrator have paired up previously on other bunny books.

My 21-month old can't get enough of the rhythmic rhyme, detailed illustrations and fun adventure of a bunny's day at school! She will actually sit the entire 5-7 minutes it takes to read the story - amazing. She relates to quite a bit of it, as well, since she spends one morning a week at a "preschool" parents morning out. This book is a great way to show your preschooler that school is fun!