The Runaway Bunny :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

For Overprotective Moms

2008-03-31
Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

This imaginative book reassures children that Mom will always love them and be there for them, even if they are angry or feel like running away. Yet, I find it unsettling how the mother bunny is so determined to undermine her child's sense of independence. One line is particularly disturbing: the little bunny says he will become a sailboat and sail away, and the mother answers, "I will become the wind and blow you where I want you to go." I'm not a psychologist or anything, but this line seems so controlling - not a message I want to give my child.

So dear-a true classic!

2008-03-02
Beautifully written showing a mother's love to a very young child. Lap boards are perfect for the very young. A must for a newborn! Dixie Johnson

Am I the only one who finds the message of this book troubling?

2008-02-24
I've never quite understood the appeal of this book. I received it for my baby shower along with some other board book classics and had never read it before. I immediately returned it. All I could think was -- wow, this bunny really hates his mother. Maybe if the mother would give him a little space he wouldn't put so much of his energy and imagination into how to get away from her! Especially the part about if he were a sailboat who she'd turn into the wind to blow him where SHE wanted him to go (not to be the wind in his sails). And he only even wants to stay with her in the end because clearly trying to have any independence is a lost cause. It's not like it occurs to him how much she presumably loves him. Ugh. If you are looking for a lovely children's book about unlimited love, consider PK Hallinan's "How Do I Love You" or Susan Roth's "My Love for You."

surprised it's so popular

2008-02-20
you know, for as popular as this book is, i'm really surprised at the message. i love the drawings (in fact i want a poster of the bunny boat), but how sad that the baby keeps threatening to run away. i mean, i see the positive in the mom saying that she would always be there for the baby, but so sad that the baby wants to leave so much in the first place. i'm just not sure how this story got so popular.

A lovely story

2008-02-15
My kids enjoyed reading this book. We've read it a few times now and it's quite lovely. As ever, Margaret Wise Brown writes a simple story that resonates with young readers and is fun to read.

A beautiful classic!

2008-07-22
I love this little book. Many understand it as a little allegory of the relationship between our sould and God. We can run away, but God will always find us, in His love.

Margaret Wise Brown' s second masterpiece

2008-06-18
I just noticed another review (one of the few on the lone star end) describing this book as "creepy." There is something haunting about it for sure, but I always felt as we read it to our children there was something immense about it too. It's extremely compact and the images have tremendously simple focus and power. I think part of Margaret Wise Brown's genius (a good bio of her is Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon) was her willingness to honestly take on something as awesome as a mother's ultimate bond to her child. It's like The Giving Tree in which the parent doesn't lie down and make herself into a chopping block. The story might start out seeming whimsical and light, but in the end it comes down to bonds of steel. I was never sure how our son and daughter reacted to it. I think the chemistry is bound to hinge on timing and on things about the particular child and parent. Powerful medicine. Handle with care. But surely great poetry and literature for the young. Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

Nice, sweet, fun book

2008-05-27
Nice little book for a quick read to our daughter before bed. I like the pictures which incorporate the vivid imigination of the baby and mommy rabbits.

Classic, but there's one better

2008-04-29
I bought this for my son after receiving Goodnight Moon, which is written by same author. Both are classics and the colored pages are more engaging to my 18 month old than the black & white pages. A similar story line as Runaway Bunny but with a more colorful, easy-flowing story is I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt. My son just won't put it down and wants it read to him over and over again.

Makes a great baby gift

2008-04-27
A classic book. Right size to slip into a baby gift basket. Sturdy enough to stand up to years of baby abuse.