What can I say? We love Knuffle Bunny. We bought this book when our daughter was about two. The first time we read it, my husband and I couldn’t stop laughing. Mo Willems’ portrayal of a hapless father and his daughter’s trip to the Laundromat in Brooklyn is a classic. Willems clearly loves kids and is able to laugh at his own missteps as a parent. In this case, the misstep is misinterpreting the babble of his daughter as she tries to communicate to him that they left her favorite toy behind at the Laundromat.

As the urgency of the young girl (Trixie) increases, the uncertainty, then frustration of the father grows. The miscommunication is hilariously illustrated. With a few nuanced expressions, Willems is able to convey anger, happiness, frustration, uncertainty, urgency and more. The tale ends happily as Trixie and her Knuffle Bunny are reunited. Best of all, the father gets to be the hero.

Young children will love this story and, parents will laugh as they recognize themselves. Hopefully, they’ll also learn a bit about patience and the needs of young children. As Trixie so elegantly showed her father, little girls who need to say something, but can’t talk, sometimes have to resort to desperate measures to be understood.

The illustrations are unusual. Printed on olive-green backdrops, the illustrations are a combination of muted, sepia-toned photographs upon which bright cartoon drawings of people have been superimposed.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale was a BccB Blue Ribbon Picture Book Award winner.

Audience: preschool