Caldecott Award Winning Book #3

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

by Mo Willems

This book by Mo Willems was a Caldecott Honor book for 2005. The images in this book are a melding of hand-drawn ink sketches and digital photography in a computer. One day Trixie goes on an errand with her daddy to the laundromat. She helps her daddy put the laundry into the machine and puts the money into the washing machine. If you follow the pictures closely, you realize that Trixie has accidentaly put her favorite stuffed bunny in the washing machine. They leave the clothes washing and begin to walk home. Trixie realizes she has left her stuffed bunny and tries to tell her daddy (though she doesn't speak words yet). Trixie tries to tell her daddy, but he doesn't understand her, so she becomes hysterical and starts screaming and crying all the way. As soon as they get home, Trixie's mom asks where Knuffle Bunny is. The whole family hurries back to the laundromat to search for Knuffle Bunny. Trixie's daddy finally finds him in the very back of the washing machine. Trixie is so exctied when they find him that she yells, "KNUFFLE BUNNY!" These are her first words. I love the pictures in this story. They are very unique because the background looks real and the people look like cartoons. I have found that children are really caprivated by the pictures. Most children can relate to this story because they have a favorite stuffed animal or toy that why would be upset if they lost.