Read To Your Bunny (Max & Ruby) [Paperback]

Rosemary Wells (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999 | Age Level: 2 and up | Series: Max & Ruby

This simple rhyming story by bestselling author/illustrator and reading advocate Rosemary Wells has become a rallying cry for reading aloud to young children. It has been used by many libraries, states, and organizations for literary outreach. "A celebration of the pleasures of reading.... Each framed scene is a loving tribute both precise and precious and wholly satisfying in artistic presentation and integrity." - School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this cozy square volume inspired by a literacy campaign slogan, said PW, "The joy of reading shines on every fuzzy face." Ages 6 mos.-3 yrs.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreS?A celebration of the pleasures of reading that will have more appeal to adults than to preschoolers. Using a multicolored cast of bunnies, Wells shows that reading can be done anywhere?on a plane or a boat, or even in a bathtub. "Read to your bunny often,/It's twenty minutes of fun./It's twenty minutes of moonlight,/And twenty minutes of sun." A final note again stresses the value of reading to children. While this message-laden story could have been overwhelming, Wells manages to steer clear of didacticism through her heartwarming illustrations. Each framed scene is a loving tribute both precise and precious and wholly satisfying in artistic presentation and integrity. The book's small size and large print make this a perfect gift for new parents or for anyone who reads to children.?Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439087171
• ISBN-13: 978-0439087179
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 6.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Wells, Rosemary

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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great for expectant mothers and newlyweds, December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Read to Your Bunny (Bunny Read's Back) (Hardcover)

My kids brought me this book in the library. Since then, I've given it at baby showers and as wedding presents. It is more of a reminder to parents what our duty and responsibility to our children is. Besides, the kids love it too. Mine had it memorized and quote it to me when I tell them I'm too busy to read right now.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful...with a very strong and urgent message, March 12, 2001

By 

Christine "loves to read" (Setauket, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Read To Your Bunny (Max & Ruby) (Paperback)

This book should be on every expectant parents list!

It is beautifully illustrated and written in simple language, yet it carries a powerful message. Reading is a wonderful way of sharing a part of our busy lives with our children, and it only "costs twenty minutes and a library card". Rosemary Wells also includes a two-page message to parents at the end of the book that tells us how and why we should should reserve a special time and place for reading activities with our children.

The message in this book will stay with you long after you finish it...It can serve as a daily reminder and as a daily source of encouragement as we lure our children into the magical world of reading.

A truly wonderful book....

Cris

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great learn to read book, March 17, 2006

By 

H. Baxter (tucson, az United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Read To Your Bunny: (With a note from T. Berry Brazelton, M. D.) (Max and Ruby) (Board book)

Rosemary Wells has done it again!!! This book encourages you to read to your children and soon they can read the book back to you. The illustrations are top notch. My daughter checked it out from the library so many times we realized she needed a copy of her own. I'm sure she will treasure it and enjoy reading it to her own children.