Our Twitchy [Hardcover]

Kes Gray (Author), Mary McQuillan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

"We've always been your mom and pop. And you'll always be our Twitchy!"

"Pop," said Twitchy, "why don't you and Mom hop like I do?"

Twitchy and his parents live in a burrow and munch on carrots, just like any bunny family. But when Twitchy wonders why he doesn't look like his parents, the answer surprises him. How can the three of them truly be a family if they're not really the same?

With lots of love (and plenty of carrots) Twitchy's parents show him that they are indeed a family after all. This sweet, funny adoption story will appeal to children and parents alike.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Twitchy the rabbit asks his parents why they don't hop like he does. They explain that even though they live in a burrow (an old train tunnel) and eat carrots (to help them see in the dark), they aren't his Bunnymom and Bunnypop. Twitchy's adopted mother is a cow, and his adopted father is a horse. The youngster is so upset when he hears this that he runs away from home. Milfoil and Sedge search everywhere but then head for home with heavy hearts. When they hear a voice, they gallop to the train tunnel to find Twitchy sitting by the entrance, covered in mud with his ears rolled up and secured by clothespins and a twig tied onto his tail. He tells them: "I can change. I promise I can change. I can be a cow or a horse. But please be my real mom and pop." Milfoil and Sedge assure him that they are his parents and love him and that they don't want him to change. Pastel-colored illustrations invoke a feeling of calm and tranquility. This touching story will amuse readers as they, along with Twitchy, discover that being in a family is about love and acceptance.
Kristin de Lacoste, South Regional Public Library, Pembroke Pines, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Gray deftly balances emotions in this entertaining and ultimately reassuring story. . . . McQuillan lends a sense of movement to her sunny paintings with very deliberate brushstrokes, lines and dabs that create appealing textures, and make her charming animal portraits and pastoral scenes pop." --Publishers Weekly, starred

"An easy and comforting look at a different kind of family." --Kirkus Reviews

"This touching story will amuse readers as they, along with Twitchy, discover that being in a family is about love and acceptance." --School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805074546
• ISBN-13: 978-0805074543
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,103,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, wonderful tale!, April 5, 2005

By 

Twitchy the Jolly Bunny - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Twitchy (Hardcover)

Some of the previous reviews criticize how this book is bad at being an adoption story, but that is not this book's ONLY purpose. It has a lovely, feel-good thing about it, and a book--especially one for children who can really not comprehend--doesn't have to make sense to be fun and receive good reviews. This hearty tale is a tale one will enjoy reading several times over, for even though some say it serves no purpose as an adoption story, it is a lovely, slightly wacky story that makes everyone feel great. Sometimes something is below average until you look at it from a different point of view, and this book, by most of the negative reviewers, is misunderstood, and is delightful in every way.

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny Chidrens Book, September 6, 2009

By 

S. Power (Detroit, Michigan, United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Our Twitchy (Hardcover)

We checked this book out from the library because the cover was cute.

We were terrifically surprised as my daughter read the book to us. As we turned the page and saw that the bunny's parents were a cow (wearing a flowered hat) and a horse we laughed and laughed and laughed. It's a heartwarming story about a bunny and his nontraditional parents that is also very funny.

As a book to teach about adoption I'm sure there are better books. As a book that will make your child giggle and want to give you a hug it's a terrific book with a wonderful happy ending. The artistry in the illustrations is fantastic and the pictures are so nicely painted that we paused and looked at the pictures and the painting techniques before reading each page.

The reading level is right around the second grade level and it has some nice vocabulary. It's a good book for a young reader to enjoy reading to his or her parents with a few new vocabulary words for them to learn.

We love Twichy!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bunny Hop, November 14, 2003

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Twitchy (Hardcover)

Our Twitchy, written by Kes Gray and illustrated by Mary McQuillan, is an absolutely adorable new picture book which I cannot recommend enough. The pictures are bright and eye-catching. The story is well-paced and well-done. It explains adoption to young children in a simple and loving way.

(Be forewarned, because this review is going to give away exactly who adopts Twitchy.)

Twitchy is a cute baby rabbit whose parents tell him that he is adopted. Prior to this revelation, he thought nothing of his mother being a cow and his father being a horse. The parents explain how his "bunnymom and bunnypop" had many children (sixteen, to be exact) so they (the cow and horse) took him in and raised him in a house full of love.

Initially, Twitchy does not believe them. When he looks at his parents' reflections in the water alongside his own, he sees the similarities - like their big brown eyes - and not their differences. Confused, Twitchy runs away. The parents search high and low for the little rabbit.

Finally, they hear something making soft "moo" and "neigh" sounds. They discover their son in an unusual state. Twitchy has attempted to look more like his farmyard parents by putting mud on his white fur to make it white, using clothespins on his floppy ears to make them small and folded, and attaching a twig to his tail.

The adults clean Twitchy up and tell him that they love him just as he is. They emphasize that they ARE his parents, no matter what. Twitchy is content once more and they prepare to have their typical dinner, something all three of them enjoy: carrots!

If you are a parent or a schoolteacher, pick this up. It is a wonderful way to introduce kids to the concept of adoption. It reinforces the fact that love makes you a family. Pick up People by Petere Spier and It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr while you are at it.