Customer Reviews

While We Were Out (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards) (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Children's books about animals are one of my favorites to review -- especially when the main character has a mind of his own :).

The book, "While You Were Out," by Ho Baek Lee, is about a little rabbit whose owners forget to lock the door to the balcony. When the little rabbit discovers this, she goes exploring throughout the house. While inside, she finds a lot of fun things to do.

MyParenTime.com highly recommends this book -- it's short sentences and simple renderings make this story very enjoyable for young children. The ending is sure to leave a trail...pun intended :).

The sweetest little South Korean import on the market today. Admittedly, I'm not particularly familiar with a lot of translated South Korean books for children sold in America. But due to the fact that, "While We Were Out", (originally titled in South Korea, "What On Earth Happened During That Time") is twice as adorable as 95% of picture books written in the English language, it's probably a fair guess.

In this simple book, the family rabbit goes exploring in her owners' house while they're away visiting grandma. The family itself is never seen. Instead, we follow the rabbit as she traipses from room to room, exploring and testing. The rabbit applies lipstick to her face. She settles in for a good movie. She rollerblades (with the help of some strong chopsticks, of course). All the while the little rabbit is determining her own taste and in the end she fully believes she's gotten away without the family ever knowing. There's a cute (and very realistically rabbit-like) twist on the ending of this tale. Anyone who's ever had a fluffy bunny as a pet will instantly understand that this is EXACTLY how their own rabbit might explore the home. "While We Were Out" will not change anyone's life or bowl you over with its style. It is a sweet simple tale told with humor and beauty. Just the perfect book for any time of day.

This book is just right for my five-year-old bunny loving daughter. It's a simple story of what the pet bunny does when the family leaves, and he sneaks into the house. It's a little reminiscent of Alexandra Day's Carl books, in that when the pet is left alone, he takes on some human characteristics. For instance, this bunny has lunch at the table and tries out roller skating. Very cute- just the right amount of text, a great cuddle up and giggle story.

An adventurous bunny slips into the house while the family is away at Grandma's house. The book details the bunny's exploration and hijinks and provides a funny surprise ending that led my sons (ages 6 and 4) to ask me to read it again immediately.

The picture book claims to be based on a true story (and even includes a picture of the actual bunny that inspired this book). I'm sure it was true that a bunny managed to sneak into Ho Baek Lee's house but I'm just as sure the bunny didn't manage to ski down the hallway with a pair of chopsticks and a rollerblade. The artwork reflects the blending of the true and the imaginary. The result is a sweet, fun picture book that my sons have enjoyed over and over again at bedtime.

In summary, this is an enjoyable tale with an endearing character. I recommend it to parents with young children, especially if they have a child who like bunny rabbits. While not a classic, this story is much better than most picture books I've reviewed for Amazon (and please check out my Amazon lists of bedtime books for young boys).

Rating: four stars.

This is a wonderfully imaginative story about a pet rabbit who takes advantage of her family's absence. After they leave one afternoon, she slips inside to explore the apartment and experience the things she has longed to try.

The illustrations are absolutely hilarious - the rabbit enjoying a treat on the couch, applying lipstick, reading books and playing with toys. The activities are just so un-bunny-like and ridiculous that you can't help but laugh. She leans back on the couch, sitting just like a human would, with a bag of chips wedged between her paws.

Right before the family returns, the bunny slips back into her place, hoping to keep her visit a secret. But will she remain undetected? It seems as if she has inadvertently left behind a trail of evidence.

The very best part of this book is how it get the readers engaged in imagining the wild things that might happen in their own homes. Does the dog browse the cupboards and eat the best snacks? Does the hamster build block towers and conduct toy car races on the wood floors? The possibilities are endless ....

The book itself is a cute book. Cute drawings, story, and cute ending. However, I had to return it because the condition of the book was not satisfactory. It looked beat up, wrinkled, etc. and therefore, could not give as a gift. I exchanged for another one, but the second one wasn't much better. Maybe that's why it's selling at a discounted price...

This is a wonderfully simple tale of a pet's misadventures during the family's absence. The illustrations are so charming, and the Korean touches are very appealing.

This is a wonderful book for anyone especially if they own a rabbit as a house pet. Even my 22 year old who does have a house rabbit enjoyed it and loved receiving it as a gift. It's a very sweet and gentle story with beautiful illustrations.

i agree this is a lovely and sweet children's book. the drawings are soft, subtle, and cozy. the story is delightful and i would give it 5 stars but the text is generic.

the main character - the bunny - IMHO should have had been given a name. at mid-point i became mildly disappointed with the repeated references as "the rabbit" and "she" this and "she" that. i understand children love repetition as a rule, but from a all-around point of view, the repetition feels poorly done perhaps as a result of a translation of the original text (?i'm guessing) rather than as a fun delivery of linguistic repetition. perhaps its just a pet peeve of mine and nobody else would mind it. the book is based on the author's pet bunny named "palpary", and i wished they had named the bunny in the book as well.

a very cute and funny story, and i certainly still recommended it. its fun watching for the 'evidence' throughout the book, and as i mentioned before, the drawings are adorable.

A sweet, softly illustrated children's book that touched my heart. A must have for kids and animal loving adults.