Quiet Bunny

I recently received the cutest book. QUIET BUNNY is written and illustrated by Lisa McCue. The art has to be a contender for most adorable ever, with a bunny so sweet you wish you could scoop him up and give him a cuddle.

In the story, Quiet Bunny loves the sounds of the forest and wants to join in the night song where the animals sing, each with their own sound. Unfortunately for Quiet Bunny, he can’t make as much as a peep. We follow Quiet Bunny and all his cuteness as he travels through the forest visiting the different animals and trying to copy their sounds. This is where the fun comes in. My little guy has been having a great time making the animal sounds along with the story, some new to him and some familiar. He loves the loon’s unique sound the best and is determined to get it correct, to my delight. I love it when he puckers his lips!

After much searching, the story crescendos with a new night in the meadow where Quiet Bunny discovers, after a bit of advice, that he just needs to be himself. This gives Quiet Bunny pause and he examines the things that make him unique. They're all very cute, of course. Not much later, he finds that he does indeed have a sound of his own. The animals assemble and join in as Quiet Bunny leads the night song on a fold out page that gathers the animals in all their adorable glory.

Quiet Bunny is a fun read and is an excellent book for storytime. With all the animal sounds, it easily encourages participation. I can imagine a group of children loving this beautiful book and practicing the sounds with each creature. I can hear the oohs and ahhhs as they gather around the big, fold out page at the end, each playing a part in the night song. There’s plenty of sounds to choose from whether it’s the grrrr of the bear, the ch-cheet of the cricket or the wha-wha-wha of the bat.

This book definitely makes my list of books I would want to live in. The soft illustrations are so detailed and beautiful that they invite you right into the story. The setting is lush and green. I can imagine lying in the long grass right next to Quiet Bunny, even if there are a few mosquitos.

And the best part? My little guy has been running around chanting be who you are. Be who you are! Not a bad thing to take away from a book.

QUIET BUNNY, written and illustrated by Lisa McCue, is published by Sterling Publishing Company.