Little Bunny's Own Storybook by M. Welwood

Abstract

Welwood, Margaret. Little Bunny's Own Storybook, illustrated by Nataly Vits, Bomars Ventures, 2017.

Margaret Welwood tells the story of a little bunny, who wants to spend the day at his favourite place, the library. Unfortunately, it is closed, and he must find another way to occupy himself. The little bunny feels sad because he does not want to play outside or with his toys, but then has the idea to make his own book. He collects paper, crayons, glue, and paint, and goes about writing his own story. The little bunny spends the day busily working on it. Then he reads his new book to his parents, who love the story. Finally, the little bunny encourages the reader to write their own stories and create their own books.

This book has gentle, watercolour illustrations that give an almost dream-like quality to the book. Most pages are dominated with browns, greens, and blues. Each illustration fills a single page with the text written in a soft white bubble that overlays the images. The images are very pretty, but they do not add more information to the book, beyond what can be gleaned from the text itself.

The text is an interesting combination of simple structure and rhyme scheme with complex and advanced vocabulary. The second and fourth line of every page rhyme, which gives the book a pleasant and familiar lilt. However, because of the use of words like “antidote,” the language seems somehow discordant.  

This book indicates that it is intended for children aged 3 to 8, but the vocabulary would likely be too difficult for 3-year-olds, and the simple story line would likely be uninteresting for 8-year-olds. As a result, I would recommend it more for children aged 5 to 6. The book is clearly meant to convey the pleasures of reading and the library, as well as creating and sharing. As a result, I would recommend this book for public libraries. 

Recommended:  3 stars out of 4

Reviewer:  Laura Hamonic

Laura Hamonic is an Academic Library Resident at the University of Alberta’s Science and Technology Library. She has a passion for all things crafty and spends her days cross stitching, crocheting, and costume making.