Bunny's Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown, Lisa McCue (Illustrator)

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Baby Bunny awakes in his cozy cubbyhole, snuggled with his family, and is treated to a whirlwind of sounds from the world around him. We are treated to a delightful board book about discovering the noise of nature. From a previously unpublished manuscript by the renowned Margaret Wise Brown comes this adorable story aimed at the littlest of readers.

Bunny's morning begins with the sounds of fluttering, chirping, and cock-a-doodle-dooing, with all the birds and roosters arising! Bunny decides to explore the world above his hole and hears "bzzzzzzzz." "What was that?" he wonders. Outside he finds two bumblebees atop purple flowers. Bunny decides to make some noise himself and munches away at fresh green lettuce. And then he stretches, yawns, scratches, and sneezes. "What kind of noise was that?" Bunny asks the reader. He frolics thru the grass until the sun sets and the sounds of night become clear -- the strong gusts of the wind and snapping branches under the feet of a fox -- and then the familiar thump of his mama banging her heels on the ground calling him home. He hops into his cubbyhole, curls up with his clan, and happily sighs. His ears take a break, and all that is left is the quiet night.

Gentle text and precious illustrations make this a great choice for young readers. Bunny's sweet expressions, especially when he stretches and yawns, will bring smiles to everyone's face. Luscious colors and plenty of detail fill every page. Bunny's questions to the reader will keep youngsters focused and help them to recognize the sounds of their world. A lovely board book that is great for reading aloud, at bedtime or anytime. (Amy Barkat)

From the Publisher

A little bunny listens to noises all around him and then makes some of his own. Luscious watercolor illustrations and masterful rhymes are perfect for reading aloud.

Publishers Weekly

Over the course of a day, Little Bunny puts his long ears to good use and discovers a world full of sounds--birds chirping, bees buzzing--some of them (a sneeze, a stretch) of his own making. Brown's (Goodnight Moon) posthumous text reads more like a draft than a finished product, but there is still plenty here to draw in a young audience: the comforting brevity and gentle rhythm of the prose ("He raised his ears without opening his eyes. He heard all the little quiet noises starting the morning around him"); rhetorical questions after each sound is introduced ("What was that? Yes. It was a bumblebee. Two bumblebees"); and a close-of-day wrap-up that radiates a snugly warmth. McCue (The Perfect Christmas Gift) renders nature in the aesthetic tradition of vintage Golden Books. The colors of nature have a sweet, luminescent quality, like light shining through translucent candy, and the animals' eyes sparkle with vitality. Ages 3-7. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

From the time little bunny wakes in the morning until the moment he curls back in his nest, he hears sounds. Who makes that bzzzz sound? What kind of noise does a yawn make? Young children will be delighted to discuss and identify each sound in this previously unpublished manuscript by the legendary Margaret Wise Brown. While picture books are often described as a marriage between text and art, few books demonstrate the principle as beautifully as this one. Lisa McCue's illustrations are simply perfection. One can almost feel the soft brown fur of the little bunny's back. Bee wings whirr, and blades of individual grass wave in the meadow. The bunny's expressions when he listens to sounds, and when he yawns are irresistible. Brown's gentle text, as soothing as the classic Goodnight Moon, has been masterfully arranged in pages that invite young children to participate. For example, when the little bunny hears a Cock Cock Cock-a-doodle Doo, the page ends with a question children will be delighted to answer, "What was that?" This is a book children will ask for again and again. In the classroom and at bedtime, this book will be treasured.

Product Details

• ISBN: 078680744X
  
• ISBN-13: 9780786807444
• Format: Board Book, 32pp
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Pub. Date: February 2002
• Sales Rank: 58,428
• Age Range: 3 to 7