Bunbun, the Middle One - Hardcover

McCullough, Sharon Pierce

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 184148377X ISBN 13: 9781841483771

Publisher: Barefoot Books, 2006

Synopsis

A story about Bunbun, the middle rabbit in the family who always feels less capable or coordinated than his siblings, encourages family discussions about sibling relationships.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Even though he is centrally located between big brother Benny and little sister Bibi, Bunbun is a nonconformist rabbit in this paper-over-board book. "Bunbun sings the loudest." He raises his arms and opens his mouth wide. "Bunbun gets the dirtiest." He tops a sand castle with a green flag, heedless of the splotches on his red outfit. Of the siblings, only Bunbun has a sidekick, a yellow-winged blackbird that always looks in his direction. McCullough's three rabbit characters resemble sock puppets, with their slender ears, tall bodies and elongated limbs. Their head-to-toe jumpsuits appear to have been shaded with waxy colored pencil, and they stand against opaque backgrounds in Easter-egg hues of purple and gold. Simple statements complement the minimalist drawings, and a steady refrain ("Bunbun is the middle one") grounds the pared-down description for beginning readers. McCullough briefly plays on the word "middle," writing that "Bunbun is the muddled one" who sometimes "wears his coat inside out" by accident. In these pages, Bunbun frowns and appears uncharacteristically gloomy. This departure doesn't fit the established narrative pattern or the generally cheerful tone of the pictures, but otherwise this book focuses proudly on an ofttimes contradictory middle child. Ages 6 mos.
4 yrs. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Bunbun has an older brother and a younger sister. He clearly excels at many things, but "muddles" others. While he "sings the loudest" and "gets the dirtiest," he also puts "his boots on the wrong feet" and "wears his coat inside out." The brief text is a gentle reminder that it is okay to be average, or "the middle one." The large, simple images are in bright, friendly shades of green, purple, and orange but the depictions of the characters are basically identical and the creatures can be distinguished only by size, color of clothing, and textual clues. The oversized font is designed to look handwritten. While children may relate to this character who, despite his mistakes, has a secure place in his family, they will find the text at best, middling.-Thomas Pitchford, Rosenthal Elementary, Alexandria, LA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barefoot Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 184148377X
• ISBN 13: 9781841483771
• Binding: Board book
• Number of pages: 24