Runaway Bunny

Author: Brown
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The little rabbit says to his mother, "I'm going to run away!" "If you run away," the mother says, "I'll come after you, because you are my little treasure!" A game of love's hide-and-seek begins! A classic in the world of children's literature that transcends time and space! For 60 years, it remains a beloved parent-child read-aloud picture book on Amazon (www.amazon.com)! Don't underestimate this picture book published in 1942—its authors are Margaret and Clement, pioneers in the American picture book world! The American School Library Journal named it one of the "Best of the Best" children's books from 1966–1978 and included a recommendation: "The delightful dialogue between the rabbit mother and the little rabbit forms a poetic little story that may one day become a classic of children's literature." In fact, before that, it had already become a household classic in America. Sixty years later, it has been reprinted again and again, and in 2002, the United States released a "60th Anniversary Edition" with a golden medal sticker on the cover. Today, The Runaway Bunny has become a classic in children's literature. Margaret had her own creative philosophy—her children's literature, as she once said, was to "write a simple book that lets children escape for a little while from the worries of everyday life, like tying their shoelaces, and come to an eternal fairy-tale world." This time, she tells a simple story of a little rabbit playing a game of verbal hide-and-seek with his mother. The story is simple to the point of being almost absurd, reduced to just a few exchanges of dialogue, yet these few lines have captivated people all over the world. Without any warning, one day, a little rabbit suddenly declares to his mother that he wants to "run away"—though we later learn that this isn't out of rebellion or any grievance, but simply because he wants to know how much his mother loves him—but we can't help but admire this clever and open-minded mother. She is neither surprised nor asks why, but playfully says, "If you run away, I'll come after you, because you are my little treasure!" Immediately after, a joyful and peculiar game of chase begins in the realm of imagination. The little rabbit travels to the heavens and the earth—whether pretending to be a fish in a stream, a flower in the garden, a stone on a mountain, or a bird—the mother, always right on his tail, manages to catch him every time. Finally, the little rabbit gets tired of running and snuggles up to his mother, saying, "I won't run away anymore." The mother then feeds him a carrot symbolizing love. As one reviewer put it: The Runaway Bunny always brings a sense of peaceful joy to young readers. Almost every child has, at some point, imagined running away from home like Barnaby, using this as a way to test their mother's love. The little rabbit's experience is just like their own games, giving them an indescribable sense of security. The Runaway Bunny has allowed generations of parents to...