Customer Reviews

My Friend Rabbit

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There are some books in the world that you can flip through in the bookstore and get a pretty good idea of the plot and characters. Then there are books like "My Friend Rabbit". Roughly a year ago I wanted to know what all the "My Friend Rabbit" fuss was about. I mean, this book was a 2003 Caldecott Award winner after all. I wanted to see why. So I went to my local independent bookstore and flipped through it. I flipped and flipped and was baffled by the heaping helpfuls of praise it had received. My haphazard flipping didn't reveal anything particularly interesting or original in the story. Fast forward a year and I've finally taken the time to sit down and read, "My Friend Rabbit" in its entirety (a process which took me all of 93 seconds). Suddenly I understood why it was so beloved. Though an incredibly simple plot, story, and set of characters, "My Friend Rabbit" is a remarkably beautiful tale of two woodland creatures and their plane related misadventures. It's simple in words and complex in visuals.

As Mouse points out from the beginning, "My friend Rabbit means well. But whatever he does, wherever he goes, trouble follows". That's Mouse's nice way of saying that Rabbit is an all-time screw-up. In this particular outing, Rabbit has managed to get Mouse's brand new airplane (in which Mouse fits like a furry little Lindbergh) stuck in a tree sans Mouse. Quick as a wink Rabbit's off with a, "Not to worry, Mouse. I've got an idea!" thrown over his shoulder. Before you know it he's tugged, dragged, carried, and cajoled a wide variety of animals to stand on one another under the offending tree. Mouse is just able to reach the wing of his plane when the entire group comes crashing to the ground. Rabbit is in big big trouble. Fortunately the plane is now free and two go happily off into the sky. That is, until Rabbit steers them a tad off course. The last words in the book are a too familiar, "Not to worry, Mouse. I've got an idea". Readers can guess what'll happen next.

Ho hum, you say. I've seen stories of this ilk before. I won't contest that. Maybe you've seen a dozen similarly ilked picture books in your day. Maybe you're an old hat in the clumsy-rabbit-gets-in-and-out-of-scrapes genre of storytelling. This might all be the case. But you have never, I say I say, NEVER seen anything like this colorful concoction of animalistic cajolery. First of all, the book in and of itself is beautiful to look at. Filled with hand-colored relief prints spanning a rainbow of different colors, the story looks like a series of cheery rounded woodblock images more than anything else. Rohmann's characters are beautifully expressive and original. Each animal has its own personality and individual traits. From the somewhat perturbed goose to the blissfully unaware hippo, they all act, look, and react in different ways. Rohmann isn't afraid to make use of every inch of page space either. Sometimes an image on one page will be of just rabbit pulling on a trunk. The next two page spread is then completely filled with the elephant as Rabbit hops away for more animalia. Pictures will suddenly becomes vertical as suits the story (as when they're standing on one another to reach the tree). There are even pictures that display nothing more than impending doom. When the animals fall from their tower you get a brief image of the baby geese that didn't participate in the Babel-like construction running for cover, just before the creatures hit. And visual humor has never been so beautifully realized as in this tale. There is a shot of every single animal (save mouse and the still smiling hippo) glaring at Rabbit with undisguised malice after their unintentional plummet. Rabbit, who up until this time has had eyes that were simple black dots, looks straight at the viewer with the whites of his eyes very very visible. It's one of those pictures that says a million different things and could only have been drawn in the last ten years. After all, how many picture books can you name off the top of your head where the hero stares at the viewer in fear?

Not that it really matters, but I fully support the fact that "My Friend Rabbit" won all the awards that it did. Books of its nature are rarities. This tale is funny, touching, beautiful, and engagingly constructed. It is colorful. It is well-thought out. It is a classic in the purest sense of the word. It is a wonderful adventure, a touching tale, and a great great book. I praise it with all the praising strength with which I am endowed. Buy it immediately.

This was in the nightly reading stack for weeks and returns frequently. The book is short on words and requires you to look at the details before the whole story unfolds. We have had fun as we notice different details the more we read this book. My little one is about to turn 3 and may be on the verge of outgrowing this book. I'll be a little sad when she does.

Although I was a little surprised that this book was named the Caldecott winner this year, the first time I read it to a class, I understood why. Kindergartners and first graders absolutely LOVE it! They laughed out loud and covered their eyes as the animals tumbled to the ground. I enjoy it more every time I share it with a group of students. It's first rate!

I am 7 years old and learning to read. I loved the story of My Friend Rabbit. It was something my Mum read to me once then I read again and again by myself. She was recently ill so I read it to her at night before I went to bed.

My 5 year absolutely loves this book, especially the amazing illustrations. She laughes out loud every time we read it together.

I once asked her why did the rabbit go through so much trouble to get the plane back for the mouse; she answered "because the rabbit and the mouse are friends." I then asked her why didn't the mouse get mad at the rabbit and just leave; she answered "silly Mommy, I SAID they are friends."

I applaud Caldecott's choice for its 2003 medal winner.

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann is a really funny book to read. In the beginning Rabbit threw Mouse's plane too hard and Mouse fell out. Wherever Rabbit goes trouble follows. Rabbit says he has an idea and he gets a lot of animals and stacks them on top of each other to try to get Mouse's plane from out of the tree. The animals all fall but Mouse was hanging on to the plane and he gets the plane out of the tree. Then Mouse takes Rabbit for a ride on his plane because Rabbit is Mouse's best friend.

Our daughter took nearly a full year to appreciate this book.

She got it at one year old, and by two years old she can recite every line and describe every page, even when those pages are not in front of her - she does it from memory. She *loves* this book and asks for it several times a day.

The illustrations are wonderful, the quirky storyline is wonderful - for whatever reason, this book has driven itself into our daughter's mind and she cannot get enough of it, and we love reading it to her.... that is, when she is not reading it to us, even though she cannot read yet. She tells us the story from memory, and loves how all the animals go "plopping" after they build a huge animal tower and later fall.

Get this book. If for some reason your child doesn't love it, I'm sure someone else close by will. I don't know why it works, but it sure works with our daughter!

Eric Rohmann's book, "My Friend Rabbit," is about a mouse and a rabbit that are very good friends. Rabbit is the friend that is always getting into trouble, and mouse is the friend that always stands by Rabbit's side. In this story, Mouse lets Rabbit play with his new airplane, to which Rabbit gets the airplane stuck in a tree. Rabbit thinks he has the solution as he drags all the animals over to the tree and has them stand head to toe to reach the airplane. However, when the animals plunge to the ground, they are very unhappy with Rabbit. But, Mouse still loves Rabbit, and lets him fly away with him on his airplane.

In the book, "My Friend Rabbit," Eric Rohmann uses hand colored relief prints for the illustrations. I love the bold colors Rohamann uses in the illustrations to portray a joyful and energetic plot. Beyond coloring, I love Eric Rohmann's use of line in this story. He uses dotted and loopy lines to let the reader follow the airplanes path. I think children will love following the lines of the airplane's path.
I really enjoyed the use of line on the page with all the animals stacked up to reach the airplane. I think kids will enjoy turning the book to see how high the animals stretched up towards the tree.

My Friend Rabbit, written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann, won a deserving Caldecott Medal in 2003. Using vibrant colors in his artwork, Rohmann tells how rabbit always, 'has an idea'. As you turn the pages you watch how rabbit's idea gets the best of hisself and his friends, yet Mouse continues to be his friend. This is a great story about friendship told mostly through pictures.
Eric Rohmann also wrote Clara & Asha, Time Flies and Pumpkinhead.

This book, as stated previously, is a true (and great!) picture book in every sense of the word. It ignites the children's vivid imaginations--that would otherwise be 'unimaginative' if it spelled every event out to them--by forcing them to ask questions and or tell the reader (us parents) what they think is going on.

Lately books are full of words with minimal pictures, but not this one. Thank you Mr. Rohmann for creating an imaginative book with a wonderful message. Kudos!