Max's Bunny Business (Max and Ruby) [Hardcover]

Rosemary Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2008 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Max and Ruby

Bunny business? Funny business!

Max?s sister, Ruby, and her best friend, Louise, are in business. They have big plans for the profits from their lemonade stand, and they definitely don?t want Max to help or share. But trust Max to have plans of his own. He just might show Ruby that he has a better way to run a bunny business.

Everyone?s favorite bunnies, Max and Ruby, appear in a popular television series on Nickelodeon.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1—Ever-industrious Ruby wants to buy two Fire Angel flashing rings, one for herself and one for her friend Louise. They decide to sell lemonade so that they can earn the necessary two dollars. Max wants to lend a hand, but Ruby does not want his help, so he sets up a competing business, selling old Halloween candy that he found in his closet. He manages to sell the lot to his grandmother, who drives him to the novelty store. After a successful day at the lemonade stand, the girls cycle to the same store, only to discover that the last Fire Angel flashing ring has been sold. It's no surprise who bought it. Wells is treading familiar ground here as Ruby is outfoxed yet again by her younger brother. It hardly seems fair, though, because Ruby is guilty of no more than trying to do a good job and earn her own treat. But fans of this rabbit duo will be happy. The illustrations are clean and bright, making liberal use of pastel backgrounds and shiny metallic detail to accent Ruby's jewelry, the chrome on Max's fire truck, and the dimes on the front cover. A pleasant, though uninspiring, addition to the series.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In another winner about rabbit siblings Max and Ruby, little Max outwits his bossy older sister. There is no way Ruby and her best friend will allow bumbling Max to help when they set up a lemonade stand to make money so that they can buy trendy flashing rings. So Max sets up his own stand to sell leftover Halloween candy, and with Grandma’s help, he turns out to be the better business bunny. Not all little ones will understand Max’s sly trick the first time around, but even those who don’t will love going back to read the story again and again. As always, Wells’ Easter-bright artwork tells a dramatic story of sibling rivalry, with body language that shows the small rabbit-child’s seething anger and rebellion, and finally his delightfully blissful triumph. Preschool-Grade 1. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670011053
• ISBN-13: 978-0670011056
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Rabbit stew..., June 27, 2011

By 

Groovy Mom (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Max's Bunny Business (Max and Ruby) (Hardcover)

Of the hundreds of stories I've read to my two children, this one leaps out at me as the most morally askew. In order to raise money to buy a coveted ring, Ruby and Louise set up a lemonade stand. Max not only spills the lemonade but then undercuts them by selling his long forgotten Halloween candy. (And what sane bunny forgets their Halloween candy anyway)? Then Grandma buys it all for a dollar and they dash off to buy the last of the rings that Louise and Ruby so coveted, which Max keeps. If my mother and younger child did that to my older one I'd disown them! I'm afraid the best place for Max and Grandma is in a rabbit stew. Alas my youngest daughter loves this story and asks for it repeatedly. The fact I get so annoyed when I read it, seems to amuse her greatly! It really isn't often I take against a harmless children's book or character, but in this case I get the last laugh, because I'll be doing all I can to veto these dysfunctional little rodents in the future.

3.0 out of 5 stars Disapointed in Max, March 30, 2009

By 

Maryland reader (maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Max's Bunny Business (Max and Ruby) (Hardcover)

I was sad to see Max sneak out and buy the rings he knew his sister and her friend were saving up for, apparently with the approval of their grandmother. THe bunnies are not usually so mean-spirited.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August 15, 2008

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Max's Bunny Business (Max and Ruby) (Hardcover)

Max and Ruby are at it again in another humorous adventure that happens to contain valuable lessons about entrepreneurship and competition. Ruby and her friend Louise have their eyes set on two new Fire Angel flashing rings at the novelty store, and they decide to set up a lemonade stand so they can earn the money to purchase the rings. While little brother Max wants to help, the girls do not see him as part of their business plan and they send him off to play. Not easily deterred, Max sets up his own stand and shows the girls a thing or two about competition. Max's Bunny Business weaves some important economics concepts into a clever story with delightful illustrations that will appeal to readers of all ages.