Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2007 | Age Range: 3 - 6 years | Lexile Measure: 690L (What's this?)

Trixie can't wait to bring her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny to school and show him off to everyone.   But when she gets there, she sees something awful:  Sonja has the same bunny.  Suddenly, Knuffle Bunny doesn't seem so one-of-a-kind anymore.  Chaos ensues until  the bunnies are taken away by Ms. Greengrove.  After school, Trixie finally gets her beloved bunny back.  But in the middle of the night, Trixie realizes something.  She has the wrong bunny! 

 

Daddy comes to the rescue again as a midnight swap is arranged with the other bunny, the other little girl, and the other daddy.  Needless to say, the daddies are not very happy.  By the end of the story Trixie has her beloved bunny back, but she has also gained something new:  her very first best friend.

 

In the tradition of the Caldecott Honor-winner KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE, this is another heartfelt, hilarious picture book that children (and their parents) will love. 

 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Knuffle Bunny returns, but this time he has a doppelganger. Trixie is off to school, and things are going well enough—until she notices that Sonja is holding her own Knuffle Bunny. Arrgh! The afternoon results in dueling bunnies, which are confiscated by the teacher. Happily, they are returned at the end of the day, but at 2:30 a.m. realization hits: the bunny Trixie is sleeping with is not her own. Despite parental protestations, phone calls are placed, bunnies are exchanged, and the girls, bonded during the trauma, become best friends. This has much of the charm of Knuffle Bunny (2004), a Caldecott Honor Book, but the premise is stretched here: the middle-of-the-night meeting is energetic, but it seems overplayed. As in the previous title, the slice-of-life artwork is smashing. Willem's cartoon-style art, set against crisp black-and-white photos of New York City interiors and exteriors, catches every bit of the plentiful emotion. Keen-eyed kids will have fun keeping track of the Knuffle Bunny as he's lost, then found again. Cooper, Ilene

About the Author

Mo Willems is the author of groundbreaking picture books, including; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (Caldecott Honor winner 2004); Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Caldecott Honor winner 2003); Don't Let the Pigeon Stay up Late!; The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!; Time to Say "Please"!; Leonardo, the Terrible Monster; and Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct.

In his previous life, Mo was a six-time Emmy Award winning writer and animator for Sesame Street and the creator of Cartoon Network's Sheep in the Big City. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 6 years
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423102991
• ISBN-13: 978-1423102991
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.5 x 12.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Activities & Toys
  • #50 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > School
  • #99 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Friendship

More About the Author

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mo WIllens Goes Hi-Tech (Sort of) December 29, 2008

By M. Allen Greenbaum HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Mo Willems is one of my favorite kids' authors, mostly for his simply drawn yet totally on-target books such as the Pigeon series ("Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus") and those featuring the (unlikely) pair of Elephant and Piggie. Willems has an eye for subtle humor, and a pair of sentences or a squiggle here or there convey a great deal of (very funny) information.

Therefore, the Knuffle Bunny "series" (there are now two of them, the first won the Caldecott) represents a bit of a departure. Instead of uncluttered animal drawings against plain background, Willems places computer-aided characters against photos of urban surroundings. For example, on page 3, Willems superimposes wide-eyed, excited Trixie and her orangy-haired Dad on a sidewalk. The sidewalk is part of a photo that includes a very 50's looking black and white photo of the "Clever Barber Shop." The plot begins happily enough:

"Trixie was excited because she was taking her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny someplace very special ... [turn the page] school!"

More black and white photos appear, enlivened by Willems' superimposed, computer-aided drawings of teachers, parents, and students. The merging of photo and drawing is both appealing and skillful. Willems's bright colors and mastery of physical expression ensure that the photos are always subordinate to his computer colored hand drawings (well, except in one magnificent two-page photo spread).

The book is also more talky than the simpler Willlems' fare. Here, Trixie and her very special Knuffle Bunny meet another girl, Sonja, who also has a Knuffle Bunny! Imagine wearing the same new clothes to a wedding and discovering someone wearing the same outfit: Trixie's mortification must feel 10 times worse! They fight and squabble (including a wonderful scene in which they disagree whether the "K" in "Knuffle" is silent) until the teacher takes both bunnies away.

Fast forward to night time, and Trixie somehow KNOWS that the two Bunnies got mixed up. The bunnies may look alike, but Willems seems to suggest that kids have a cerrtain bond with their special playthings, and can sense when a switcheroo has happened. Apparently, Sonja senses this too, for her dad calls Trixie's just as the latter is about to call. After a tense exchange, both girls are happy again, and they forge a strong friendship based on their mutual understanding of what it means to lose a Knuffle Bunny!

This is a more complex book than I've come to expect, and it takes a different kind of reading. His other books are straightforward and unapologetically silly, these have some serious feelings behind them. There's not as much humor, but the story-telling skill is not at all diminished--it's just more subtle. The interactions between husband and wife over whether he should get up at 2:30 am to call Sonja's family (of course he will!), the facial expressions that show dismay, relief, tension, friendship and mutual Knuffle Bunny love, all these show Willems' consummate skill as illustrator and author.

Although this is a larger-formatted book, with more words, and a more complex plot, I think that Knuffle Bunny Too is more suitable to family reading than to the classroom. It has a certain intimacy of emotion that may best be acknowledged and shared in a small group. While I have a bias towards Willems' other books, Knuffle Bunnny Too encompasses a wide range of emotions, and the creative illustrations are new and exciting.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The return of Knuffle Bunny! September 15, 2007

By Z Hayes HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I can't honestly say who looked forward to this sequel more - me or my 2.5 yr old daughter! We both loved Knuffle Bunny, and the poor book is dog-eared by now...its been read so many times that my little one can 'read' the words even before I say them out loud, she has it memorised, words, sounds and all!

In this follow-up, Trixie is in preschool, and thinks Knuffle Bunny will be a success at school, only to find another girl has a Knuffle Bunny too! Well, I won't give too much away [the synopsis provided by Amazon is sufficient], but this sequel retains the humor & wit of its predecessor. The wonderful blend of photographs and illustrations enhance the simple story, and it is fun to read a book that truly encapsulates what it means to be a young child. Highly recommended for the very young, and young at heart!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Instant Classic!!!! August 15, 2012

By David

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to say just how much I love this book, and the entire Knuffle Bunny Trilogy. Especially gratifying, is that in each book, Trixie gets a little older and learns a new lesson that is appropriate for her age.

This book, like the rest of the series, is an instant classic! The style of drawings on photographs makes for a great visual experience. The story is easy enough for my 3 year olds to grasp, and yet is fun to read as an adult. Mo Willems is probably the greatest children's author since Dr. Seuss!

And, I can also HIGHLY recommend the entire Elephant and Piggy series. Simply brilliant.