KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Willems, Mo. 2007. KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. Ill. by Mo Willems. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 9780545105589

      2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In this sequel to the original KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE, a young girl named Trixie goes to Pre-K with her favorite stuffed animal named Knuffle Bunny. However, a fellow classmate, Sonia, shows up to school with the exact same bunny. Trixie and Sonia spend the day arguing about which bunny is best. Finally, the teacher confiscates the bunnies and returns them at the end of the day. 

Unbeknownst to the girls, the teacher accidentally swaps the stuffed animals upon returning them. Each girl takes the bunny home and does not realize the mistake until bedtime. The girls' parents are forced to rendezvous in the middle of the night to swap the bunnies. In the end, the girls develop a strong friendship as a result of the mix-up.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Willems use of Trixie as the main character makes this book easy for young children to relate to. Children can identify with Trixie because they often have a special toy or blanket that they can not live without. Therefore, the lengths Trixie is willing to take to secure her own Knuffle Bunny is readily understood in the mind of a young child. Willems also holds the reader captive by creating an unexpected twist in the plot. Everything seems to be just fine until Trixie realizes in the middle of the night that, in fact, this is not her Knuffle Bunny. Climax is reached at the point when the fathers and girls meet up in New York City in the middle of the night to correct the mistaken identity.

The illustration technique used by Willems is unique and engaging. He uses black and white photographs of actual scenes from New York City as the background. Hand drawn ink sketches of the characters are colored digitally and placed on top of the photographs. The contrast between the sketches and photographs creates a visually stimulating image that is appealing to the reader. The setting of the story is solely conveyed through the black and white photographs taken from actual buildings and locations in New York City. This novel illustration process that combines sketches with actual photographs makes for a unique book that is likely to hold readers captive.

4. PERSONAL RESPONSE: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

One main strength of this book is the unique illustrations. The blending of black and white photographs with colorful sketches is especially dramatic. As a reader, I was captivated by the photographs of life in New York City. This unique method of illustration, along with clever and comical text, helps to hold the reader's attention A possible weakness it that the simple plot and subject matter may be primarily appealing to a younger age group. Although older children can enjoy this book, it may be more of a challenge to actually interest them in reading it based on the subject of a stuffed animal.

5. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

  "…the slice-of-life artwork is smashing" (BOOKLIST)

  "this offering, with its technical brilliance and its total and sympathetic understanding of the psychology of the preschooler, stands as magnificent in its own right" (KIRKUS REVIEWS)

6. CONNECTIONS

*Students can bring their own special stuffed animal from home to write about and share.

*Students can create their own colored illustrations to place on top of black and white photographs similar to Mo Willems style.

*Read the original KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE (ISBN 0786818700). Students can compare/contrast with the sequel.