Review of KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO, A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY by Mo Willems

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Willems, Mo. 2007. KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO, A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. Ill. by Mo Williams. New York. Hyperion Books For Children. ISBN 9781423102991

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The main character Trixie, takes her treasured Knuffle Bunny to preschool so she can show it to everyone. She arrives and is upset to find that another child, Sonja, has the same bunny. This leads to an argument, and both bunnies are taken away by the teacher. They are returned later in the day, before school dismisses. When Trixie can’t sleep that night, she realizes that she has the wrong Knuffle Bunny.
The parents of both girls are forced out into the night to exchange bunnies. This exchange allows the girls to become best friends.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The book is written simply enough for children of any age to enjoy. Beginning readers could read it independently. The setting is a large modern city. The illustration is what really stands out in this story. The city backgrounds are black and white photographs, with the characters drawn as colorful cartoons. I think most children would enjoy the artwork. The author uses hand drawn ink sketches. The sketches were colored and shaded digitally. The background black and white photographs were taken in Brooklyn.

I liked this book because any child can relate to being separated from their most prized possession. How many of us as adults remember a time when something we treasured was accidentally mixed up with another child’s? For me, it was a pair of brown boots. It almost destroyed a friendship. Fortunately, the parents in the book remedy the situation, and the story ends happily. My parents did the same thing in my situation.

I think the theme is that friendships can be formed in unlikely ways. The two girls would probably have never become friends if it wasn’t for the error the teacher made when she gave the girls the wrong bunnies. The author also makes one family African American and the other family white. This could possibly be to show conflict between races, and then in the end, we see racial unity.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Caldecott Honor Book, 2008.
Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “A seamless and supremely satisfying presentation of art and text.”
Review in NEW YORK TIMES: “Willems has a brilliant knack for exposing early childhood’s developmental pivot points, and for lampooning the best efforts of today’s hip but hapless parents to do the right thing.”


5. CONNECTIONS
This book is definitely for discussion and sharing. I would read the first Knuffle Bunny book before reading the second. This will make the children relate to Trixie even more. They could relate better to why she feels the way she does about Knuffle Bunny.
After discussion, I would have the younger children draw their most prized possession. They could also draw how they would feel if they were in Trixie’s situation. Older students could write about it. They could also write about how they would feel if something happened to it. Next, they could also illustrate their stories.
Students could also compare and contrast the two books.

I also like to use picture books with the older students as an easy, quick way to explain Literary Genre. Older students can better understand Genre, with as many examples as possible. With a long novel, you only go over one Genre in 6 weeks, where you can read a few picture books each day. They get more exposure to many Genres, in much less time. Older students also really enjoy reading picture books.

I would also introduce students to other books by Mo Willems, and we could compare and contrast techniques in illustration that he has used in other books. I also think a history of his life would be engaging for students because he has won Emmys for his writing on SESAME STREET. They would also enjoy that he created SHEEP IN THE BIG CITY. Students don’t really understand that you also have to have someone write television. We might even watch one of his television shows. This might encourage some young writers.