Rating: 
Summary: FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
Review: This was the FIRST book I bought when I was pregnant with my first child. I was browsing in a bookstore and recognized it IMMEDIATELY from childhood. I have read this book to my daughter since she was 1 month old and it is still one of her very favorite books! (She is 2 years old now.) Margaret WISE Brown was definitely WISE to write this endearing book which demonstrates the depth of a mother's love for her child. The storyline is simple yet spellbinding--the bunny wants to run away from his mother. Each time he imagines he is something different and his mother matches his imagination by becoming whom or whatever is needed to find him: he's a fish, she's a fisherman; he's a rock, she's a mountain climber; he's a flower (crocus), she's a gardener; and my personal favorite (as a child and still today) he's a bird, and she's the tree that he comes home to; and more. This is a very special book in so many ways. The bright colors on every other full page spread make the book more captivating because of the contrast from the black and white illustration on the previous full page. (In other words, the color alternates with black and white.) But the story of the mother's love which makes the bunny realize how lucky he is to have a mother who would literally follow him to the ends of the earth to be with him and protect him and just love him...THAT is what touches me the most. Bottom line, this book should really be available in a gold edition because that is what it will always be worth to me and my daughter. I highly recommend this to all--both young and old. (Check out GOODNIGHT MOON as well.) Thank you, Margaret for such a heart-felt story of love; and thank you, Clement for your bright and joyful illustrations!
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Summary: A heartwarming, beautifully written book, a MUST-HAVE !!!
Review: I first heard a few lines from this book on a T.V. show, and I was in tears! I ran straight to my computer and ordered it. This book is a must have for every child (and parent!). I have never read a book expressing the love of a mother for her child so beautifully. The mother bunny becomes whatever it takes for her to "find" her little bunny as he dreams of different things to be to run away from her. The mother bunny doesn't condemn him, but conforms to his thoughts and dreams and "chases" after him as he tells her what he will become and how he'll run away. I loved the way the mother spoke so lovingly to her little bunny, letting him know that no matter where he went, she'd find him. My son loves the brilliantly colorful images on every other page. It is a nice contrast to the black and white writing in between. This has become a favorite in my home and I intend to give this book as a gift to any and every mother (or mother-to-be) that I know!
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Summary: Runaway Bunny
Review: This book is wonderful. My son is in an accelerated reading program at school, he brought this book home last night to read and we had such a great time with it. When the story starts off with the little bunny telling his mom that he'll run away and she says she'll follow him I just thought . . . that is love. I told my son that he was the little bunny and I was the mommy bunny, so throughout the story we pretended that those characters were us. The look on my son's face was priceless, I could tell that he knew that his mommy loves him dearly (children need reassurance). He was so proud to hear that I would follow him like that. The color illustrations kept us laughing. They were just so sweet and cute. This book is a classic. I would recommend it to any parent. I didn't see it as a way a mother holds a child back from adventuring out, but as a way a mother/father can deal with a little child wanting to runaway. My son has told me a time or two that he was going to runaway (I believe all kids do - I can remember telling my mom) next time he tells me that I'll just remind him of this story and that I am a mommy bunny! Call me crazy, but I'm assuming that God has read this book as well. After all He keeps running after each and every one of us. Children of all ages need to know that.
Rating:
Summary: Great Children's Book
Review: First published almost sixty years ago and never out of print since, this book is the heartwarming story of a young bunny that wishes to run away and the mother who loves him so much that she'll follow him to the ends of the Earth. Throughout the course of the book, the "runaway bunny" and his protective mother engage in a make-believe game of chase. It's a comforting tale of a mother's love for her child and the length in which she'll go to make sure that he stays out of harm's way. This book was a joy to read. The storyline is simple enough to keep a young child's interest but thought provoking enough to inspire discussion afterwards. The book's illustrations are vivid enough to add meaning to the tale but simple enough not to draw attention away from the story. All in all, I can see why this story has remained so popular over the years. It has everything you could ever want in a book aimed at preschool and kindergarten age children.
Rating:
Summary: A heartwarming tale with an equally heartwarming message
Review: Ever thought of running away? Or, have you ever been really angry at your mother? Well, I have just the cure for that, this book. This is timeless tale of a little bunny who can't help but test the extent of his mother's love, but for every idea the little bunny has for running away, his mother counters with a way of making sure they are always together. For instance, when the little bunny says he will escape his mother by turning into a sailboat, his mother says in reply "If you turn into a sailboat, I will become the wind and blow you home." A wonderful story that displays the unconditional love a mother has for her children.
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Summary: Scary? Disturbing?! Squashed spirits?!? Not at all!
Review: The one- and two-star people have the totally wrong impression. What do you think the (equivalent) age of the little runaway bunny is -- 16 to 25? To what age group are we reading a book like this? You have somehow missed the point, and context. The idea here is that the little bunny is a very young child, far too young to be on his own -- you know this when he actually tells his mother he is running away! Imagine your child of 4 to 7, momentarily angry about something, who tells you he wants to run away from home, pouting and saying things he doesn't mean, wanting attention, testing your love. (Heck, imagine your adolescent of 16 literally running away, though he wouldn't warn you beforehand!) He is far too young to be on his own, and his mother loves him so much that she will always be there for him when he needs her, and will not let harm come to him. He needs her now, though in his current emotional state he doesn't realize it. Would you let your child run away? This book's audience is toddler through early-reader, the kind of age where their early needs for independence are joined with an intense need to feel the constant love and presence of the parent -- they need to know their parent(s) will always be there for them. Margaret Wise Brown was not talking about an older child figuratively spreading his or her wings, only to be smothered and squashed by Mother's "love." (The only overall metaphor here is that bunnies = humans.) She's literally talking about an immature child impulsively saying he will run away, and what any good, loving parent would say and do to help and comfort him. The book is from 1942, so perhaps that makes it unclear to some, but from the moment I read it I understood the context; it is a beautiful story if you understand the intent. That little bunny has a great imagination -- the color pages are his mental images of the previous text -- and Mama is fostering it with her responses in kind. There is one place where I would have worded the mother's part differently: where she she becomes the wind, she says "...blow you where I want you to go." I would have said, "...blow you back to me," and I think that's what the author meant. Also, somebody commented in 2000 about the "I will fish for you" part and said the mother catches him on a hook. Look at the picture -- there is no hook on the line, just a carrot tied on for the little bunny to bite, and a net to scoop him up. I've replaced our worn, torn paperback with the big lap edition boardbook. We also have the "Goodnight Moon" lap edition, and although they are big and heavy, the size is a plus for the illustrations, and they're virtually indestructible. Our first daughter (4.5) caused many small rips in the pages of her books as she turned them with gusto, and our second daughter (20 mos.) likes to finish those rips when she can!
Rating: 
Summary: A Classic of Squashed Spirits
Review: This is another "classic" that is disturbing. This is a tale of a small bunny who says he is going to run away from home. His mother tells him she will pursue him. For instance, the bunny says he will become a fish and swim away. The mother says she will become a fisherman and catch him. Each of these pairs is done illustrated with a black and white drawing (very nicely done) and a color spread (too garish and lacking the detail of the black and whites). In the end, the bunny's spirit is defeated and he resolves himself to staying home with his mother (Well then, I might as well just stay home). The underlying message is that you can not get away from your mother so you may as well not even try. This is my opinion, my wife's, and the four grandparents'. Friends with children have agreed with us about the depressing nature of this so-called classic. There are plenty of better books out there for our children.
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Summary: Timeless and Classic
Review: My grandfather used to read this book to me. Now I am thrilled to share it with my little boy. It is a great story with a timeless message -- mommy is always there. My son and I love it!
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Summary: Another book that can't be beat!
Review: If I am going to be the main story-teller in the family, I am going to read the books I thoroughly enjoy as I am sure I'll be re-reading them over and over. This is one book that will be on that list of books I'll enjoy throughout time. A little bunny tells his mommy that he's going to run away ~~ and his mommy always has a ready answer to his queries. It is a strong book about a mother's love for her child ~~ that no matter where he goes in the world, she is going to keep coming after him because she loves him. My boys love the colors of this book and the artistic design ~~ they love the story even though they are only a year old right now. I love reading the story to them ~~ it's another way of telling them that my love for them won't die. I know that sounds really sappy ~~ but it's true! It's a fun book and what child doesn't like bunnies? This is another keeper. 7-25-03
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Summary: Very sweet and very durable
Review: This book has turned into one of our favorite bedtime stories. My son and I really like looking at and talking about the pictures as the bunnies go around the world (OK, I talk about them and he babbles, but you get the idea). It's a perfect board book - it is not too long, not too short, and very sturdily crafted. My son is a page-tearer but he has not made a dent in this book.
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