Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Bear and Bunny
Illustrator: Will Hillenbrand
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Candlewick, 2015 ISBN: 978-0763671532
A bear has made himself a cave in the woods and it is the perfect place for a bear to live. In another part of the woods a bunny has made himself a home in a burrow. Though they are very different in many ways, the bear and the bunny are the best of friends. They wander in the woods together, chatting, singing, and looking for things to eat.
The interesting thing about these two animals is that they don’t really understand that they belong to different species. The bear thinks that the bunny is a small bear, and the bunny thinks the bear is a big bunny. The important thing is that the two animals love one another and it really doesn’t matter that they don’t understand the whole different species issue.
One day the bear and the bunny talk about what they have seen that day. They also have a nap together, and then the bunny asks, “Why do we not have some kind of pet?” The bunny then has to explain what a pet is. The bear asks if a pinecone would make a good pet. It turns out that it wouldn’t. What about a caterpillar? Hmmm, now that is an interesting question.
In this charming little picture book we meet a pair of animals who don’t always quite understand things, but what is wonderful about them is that it really does not matter. Children will appreciate that differences, when you are the best of friends, really are not relevant. All that really matters is that you care for one another, respect each other, and that you like doing things together.
