While We Were Out (BCCB BLUE RIBBON PICTURE BOOK AWARDS (AWARDS)) - Hardcover

Lee, Ho Baek

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1929132441 ISBN 13: 9781929132447

Publisher: Kane Miller Book Pub, 2003

Synopsis

A rabbit finds a way into an empty apartment and watches a movie, plays with some toys, and takes a nap before the owners return.

About this title

About the Author

Ho Baek Lee is an author, illustrator and publisher in South Korea. He currently lives in Seoul with his wife, son, and rabbit.

From the Inside Flap

Someone has left the patio door unlocked. It's just the opportunity the rabbit has been waiting for . . . Exploring room after room, picking up this and looking at that, the adorable rabbit exhausts herself and her curiosity before the family returns. Find out what this clever character gets into when she has the place all to herself.

This South Korean import, based on a true story, will change forever the way you think about your pets (and where you leave them while you're away).

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 1-While a family is visiting Grandma, their pet rabbit finds her way into the apartment through an unlocked terrace door. Left to explore, she enjoys all the comforts of human life, including a well-stocked fridge, popcorn and a video, dressing up, a good book, toys to play with, and finally a snooze in a warm bed. The uninvited guest wakes in time to retreat to the terrace, closing the door, innocently hoping her little visit will remain undetected-but what about the unmistakable evidence she has "dropped" behind? Lee has written a sweet, endearing story with just the right ending that will leave little listeners giggling. Illustrations in soft, washed-out grays alternate with others in full color. A mildly adventurous allegory with a bit of funny realism in the end.
Rita Soltan, formerly at Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 1. A white rabbit who lives on the patio notices that his family has gone to Grandma's, leaving the house empty. Now the house is hers. Simple line-and-wash pictures alternating with radiant full-page paintings follow the rabbit as she indulges in a multitude of obviously long-held wishes. She eats at the table and watches a movie on TV. She even tries to read a book (without much success). There are two particularly wonderful pictures--one in black and white, the other in color--in which the rabbit first delicately applies lipstick and then puts on a costume of traditional Korean dress belonging to the daughter. But the piece de resistance is a double-page spread showing what the rabbit does with the chopsticks and roller skates she has commandeered--she races through the house, tucked in the skate, pushing herself with the sticks. By the time the family returns, the rabbit is back on the patio. There's no sign of her visit--or is there? Sharp-eyed children will spot pellets of rabbit waste that occasionally turn up in the pictures and appear at the book's conclusion. This Korean import is amusing, yes, but there is also a delicacy and intelligence that pervades the tale. A definite cut above. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Kane Miller Book Pub
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1929132441
• ISBN 13: 9781929132447
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32