The Runaway Bunny - Margaret Wise Brown

The famous pair, Margaret Wise Brown and illustrator, Clement Hurd, have once again produced a heart warming bedtime story, The Runaway Bunny, sure to make any child’s dreams sweet. The story first introduces a little bunny informing his mother that he is going to run away, with the mother replying that if he does she will find him. Each page, the bunny fabricates a plan of action he will take to get away from his mother by adopting different professions that put him up on mountain tops and out in the ocean. No matter what he does his mother seems to finds him every time. Unconditional love is easily portrayed by the mother each page, which makes it a simple lesson for children to hold on to.

The illustrations in the book are setup differently than most, where with each page that includes text, the picture is a black and white sketch. Then, there is a spread following the black and white pages that has no border or words, bright colors, and is an example of impressionistic art as an oil painting. Since the whole book is based on a conversation between a mother and her little bunny boy, each black and white page explains what that character intends to do. Each color page, therefore, exhibits the result of their intentions. The book’s simple story line with repetitive phrases, cumulative pattern of events, and literal illustrations of the content makes it a perfect book for children that are learning to read.

Brown, Margaret Wise. The Runaway Bunny. New York City: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1972.