That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Neal Layton (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—One day, Emily and her rabbit are launching themselves into outer space to look for alien life-forms when they are interrupted by the Chief Footman to Queen Gloriana. He offers to trade a golden teddy bear for Bunnywunny. " 'No, thank you,' said Emily Brown. 'This rabbit is NOT for sale. And his name isn't Bunnywunny. It's STANLEY.'" But Queen Gloriana will not take no for an answer, and repeatedly sends her military staff to offer undesirable toys to Emily in trade for her rabbit. After several more refusals from an increasingly irritated little girl, the special commandos sneak into her bedroom at night and steal Stanley. Emily Brown storms the palace and confronts the queen, who cannot understand why Bunnywunny looks so miserable. So Emily takes pity on the silly queen and whispers the secret of how to have a happy toy. This gem of a book features a spunky child with a terrific imagination. The wacky illustrations, done in collage, pen and ink, and watercolor, perfectly depict the joy and energy of the companions' playtime activities. The exuberant text makes use of various fonts and cartoon-bubble dialogue. This book has loads of child appeal. Emily Brown clutching Stanley brings to mind Mo Willems's equally expressive Trixie and her beloved Knuffle Bunny. Pair these two books for a delightful storytime about favorite bunnies.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
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From Booklist

Emily owns an old stuffed rabbit named Stanley. One day, a footman appears and informs her that the queen has noticed her bunny and is offering a brand-new teddy bear in exchange. Emily isn't interested even after the queen ups the ante, offering dolls and rocking horses in addition to the bear. Then Emily wakes up, and Stanley is gone. Very cross, she runs to the palace, but when she confronts the queen, she decides to share the secret of how to love the new teddy into the perfect shape: "Play with him . . . sleep with him . . . hold him . . and be sure to have lots of adventures." Adventures make up much of the book here, as Emily and Stanley go to the rain forest and the desert in artwork that is sometimes collage and sometimes squiggly drawings, dabbed with color. Pair this satisfying story with Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny (2004); with her fried-pancake eyes, Emily could be a cousin to Willems' Trixie. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423106458
• ISBN-13: 978-1423106456
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #96,093 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review for "That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown", October 14, 2007

By	Elizabeth Considine (Santa Rosa, CA) - See all my reviews

Ages 3-7. "Emily Brown" is a very successful book. It is funny and imaginative. Emily Brown and her well-loved stuffed bunny Stanley spend their days going on fantastic adventures together. They go to outer space and the Amazon rain forest and deep-sea diving off the Great Barrier Reef. These activities are interrupted by representatives of Her Excellence Queen Gloriana the Third. The Queen has seen Emily's wonderful bunny, whom she refers to as Bunnywunny, and wants him for herself. First, Emily is approached by the Chief Footman to the Queen who offers her a brand-new teddy bear in exchange for the bunny. Emily politely explains that the bunny is not for sale and that his name is not Bunnywunny but that it is, in fact, Stanley. In the ensuing days, Emily is approached by representatives of the Army, the Navy, and the Air-Force whose requests for the bunny become increasingly more extravagant and progressively more hostile with each successive visit. Finally, Emily awakes one morning to find that her beloved Stanley is gone! He has been stolen by the Queen's Special Commandos. Emily heads straight for the castle to find both the Queen and Stanley miserable. Emily rescues Stanley and shares with the Queen the secret to having a real toy of her own. Giving Queen the brand-new teddy bear she says, "play with him all day. Sleep with him at night. Hold him very tight and be sure to have lots of adventures." This story harkens back to messages learned in "The Velveteen Rabbit" about truly loving a toy and making it real. Neal Layton's illustrations in "Emily Brown" are childlike and evocative. He uses what looks to be a mix of line drawing and photographs to make wonderfully detailed collages. The book is a delight and would be a good addition to any public or school library collection. - Elizabeth Considine, Children's Librarian, Sonoma County Library.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Silly Chicks Review, October 1, 2007

By	Three Silly Chicks "www.ThreeSillyChicks.com" - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Three Silly Chicks -- Readers, Writers, and Reviewers of funny books for kids.



Emily Brown loves Stanley and Stanley loves Emily Brown. Emily is a little girl and Stanley is an old gray rabbit. They are best friends. Best adventurers. Best EVERYTHING. Life is great for this pair until the Queen "kindly" notices Stanley and decides she must have him for her own. She tries to bribe Emily Brown with a teddy bear, talking dolls, rocking horses, and all the toys Emily could ever desire. Emily will have none of it and when that spoiled, greedy Queen goes too far and kidnaps Stanley, Emily marches right back to the castle to get him back. Nobody steals Stanley and gets away with it!

Layton combines a mix of art styles using childlike illustrations and photos of the jungle, sea and sky to bring us into Emily and Stanley's world. Emily's fierce devotion and loyalty to Stanley in this delightful book will ring true with anyone who ever had a rabbit (or teddy bear or stuffed cat or . . .) of their own.

5.0 out of 5 stars This bunny has bounced into our heart., August 8, 2008

By	Sheryl Johnson "sheryl" (Lehi, Utah) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We checked this book out at the library so many times that I finally decided to just purchase it. My children love it. The story is whimsical and creative. It was a spring board for my children to daydream. It inspired new games and even made them prone to carrying around their own favorite toys. It is a must own book that celebrates childhood and imagination.