Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. New York, Hyperion Books for Children: 2004. ISBN: 0786818700

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this story, Trixie, a girl so young that she can’t speak words yet, goes on an errand with her dad to the laundromat. They start their laundry, and on their journey back home Trixie tries to tell her dad something. Since she can’t speak in words yet, he doesn’t understand. She becomes more and more upset, until she is bawling and inconsolable. As soon as they arrive home, Trixie’s mom sees that Knuffle Bunny is missing. The whole family takes off running to the laundromat. When they get there, they find that Knuffle Bunny is just fine - and a bit cleaner than before.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Mo Willems grabs the attention and love of children when he shows Trixie’s inability to communicate what is wrong. She tries using words, and when that doesn’t work, she uses body language, tears, and everything else she possibly can to communicate that Knuffle Bunny is missing. This shows how vital language and communication is for relationships and daily living. It points out the frustration that both adults and children feel when communication is inhibited. It also helps adults see this challenge from the child’s point of view. It provokes more empathy towards a child’s temper tantrums since frustration and inability to communicate is sometimes the cause.

This story also points to the different ways people communicate. In this story, Trixie used words (or jibber jabber), tears, and body language to tell her dad Knuffle Bunny was missing. People who are able to speak in words use the same forms of communication. Sometimes they use words, but often those words are accompanied by laughter, tears, or some other form of body language to get the point across.

The illustrations in this book are black and white photographs with cartoon-like people drawn on them. Having photographs of real places and things as the scene for the story makes the story more believable. They make the story more life-like. They take the reader to a real place and time, and then mix that with a bit of imagination. They allow the reader to more vividly imagine walking on a real sidewalk, through a real park, and to a real laundromat right along with Trixie and her dad.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2005 Caldecott Honor Book

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - “Personalities are artfully created so that both parents and children will recognize themselves within these pages. A seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text.”

From BOOKLIST - “Even children who can already talk a blue streak will come away satisfied that their own strong emotions have been mirrored and legitimized, and readers of all ages will recognize the agonizing frustration of a little girl who knows far more than she can articulate.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather other books written by Mo Willems to read such as:

• Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case Of Mistaken Identity. ISBN 1423102991

• That Is Not A Good Idea. ISBN 1406355585
• Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus. ISBN 078681988X

Gather books in the “Elephant and Piggie” early reader series by Mo Willems such as:

• We Are In A Book. ISBN 1423133080
• Should I Share My Ice Cream? ISBN 1423143434
• A Big Guy Took My Ball. ISBN 1423174917

Class Discussion - Ask students to list all the different ways that people communicate. What are the differences between them? What happens when people are unable to communicate?

Print black and white photographs and have students use them to illustrate their own story.