Willems and his publisher said something akin to “what a great story!” Yes. I’ve read that this book came about because this actually happened to Mr. But, I’m not prepared to have a 3-5 year old take a laugh at the expense of the male paternal figure. And, I know that parents are not perfect. I like the fact that the Dad is doing the laundry (although he can’t get it right). Just no.ĭon’t get me wrong, I like funny books. And, can’t realize what’s wrong (even though the entire reading audience has figured it out), until his wife tells him. There are very few books, at least in the storybook genre and aimed specifically at this age group, that have strong father/child relationships. They present strong parental models that need to be emulated. See where I’m having a problem with this book? There are scores of books with maternal heroes and strong mother/child relationships. Her Dad is presented as a clueless idiot who can’t understand his own child.
Trixie, a toddler who cannot yet communicate with words, has been trying desperately to communicate her displeasure at having lost her toy for blocks. Knuffle Bunny, aimed primarily at three-five year-olds, presents a situation where a Dad has an outing with his daughter, proceeds to lose her favorite toy, and doesn’t realize the toy is lost until that fact is pointed out by his wife. As a writer, he’s a wonderful illustrator. My problem, is not with the look of the book. The scale is deftly handled, the illustrations are fun and delightful. This is no small feat, and the effect is superb. The illustrations are composites of photographic images of Brooklyn, New York, with Willem’s illustrations superimposed. Trixie falls apart on the way home, blah blah blah, they find the toy. At the laundromat, they engage in laundromat activities, accidently put Trixie’s stuffed toy (Knuffle Bunny - gesundheit) in the washer, and proceed to leave him there. The storybook spans a short journey between a father and his daughter Trixie (named after Willem’s daughter) to the laundromat. One of the Caldecott 2005 Honor recipients (that’s runner up to the 2005 Caldecott Medal), Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (pronounced with a hard “K” sound as in “kill me,” has been all the buzz since it came out and, the kids love it.
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