The Little Blue Rabbit - Hardcover

McAllister, Angela

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1582348340 ISBN 13: 9781582348346

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2003

Synopsis

This extraordinarily beautiful bedtime book, a gentle twist on the classic lost-toy story, features an irresistible plush rabbit. Blue Rabbit is loved by his Boy, and everything seems fine until one night Boy doesn't come to his bed where Blue Rabbit sleeps with him every night. The other stuffed animals help Blue Rabbit search the house, but they find only a photograph:no sign of the boy at all. Finally, nearly inconsolable, Blue Rabbit hides away in the bed to cry. Then suddenly an eye peeks under the covers and it is Boy! Since he is browner and his clothes have shrunk, Blue Rabbit assumes that "he must have been left out in the garden in the rain." Of course, he has been away on a summer vacation, and though he seems a bit different, when they hug each other tight, Blue Rabbit knows his Boy hasn't really changed at all,"for he was still soft and warm and stuffed with love."

About this title

About the Authors

Angela McAllister is the author of Digory the Dragon Slayer, Take a Kiss to School, and dozens of other books for young readers. Angela has two children and lives with her family in Hampshire, England.

Jason Cockcroft is a supremely talented illustrator. He won the first ever Blue Peter Award in 2000 with A Pilgrim's Progress. He lives in Addingham, West Yorkshire.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2-This gentle story presents a clever twist on Margery Williams's The Velveteen Rabbit (Doubleday, 1958). Blue Rabbit, a plush toy, is very much loved by his Boy and feels safe and content sleeping with him each night. Then, one evening, the child does not come to bed. Sure that his friend is lost, Blue Rabbit elicits the help of the other stuffed animals to look for him. They search the house and find only a photograph of the youngster on the mantel. The toys suggest that perhaps Boy has gone to "the place where all lost things go" and that Blue Rabbit should just forget him. Dejected, the rabbit burrows under the covers to have a good cry when Boy suddenly appears. Even though the youngster had "turned a rusty brown color," he is still the same: "soft and warm and stuffed with love." The realistic illustrations have a soft glow and the muted hues are just right for the mood of the story. Blue Rabbit has an irresistible smile and his facial expressions clearly show the range of emotions that he experiences. The quiet text sets the tone for this tender tale that is sure to be a bedtime favorite.
Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreS-K. This imaginative tale flips the traditional roles played by child and security object. In this version, Boy is the one who comforts Blue Rabbit when he is upset. And though Blue Rabbit is the stuffed one, he declares Boy to be "stuffed with love." After Boy disappears, Blue Rabbit is sad; his eyes become dull, and he stays in bed all day where he can "smell Boy." Rabbit is overjoyed when Boy returns. Although Boy has come back changed (he had "turned a rusty brown colour and his clothes had all shrunk"), Rabbit could tell his pal was still stuffed with love. The role reversal adds humor and a unique perspective to this sweet story. Cockcroft's gorgeous double-page spreads have great depth and dimension, and convey a gauzy realism that brings this imaginary world to life. A delightful, heartwarming bedtime story. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1582348340
• ISBN 13: 9781582348346
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cockcroft Jason
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32