So Many Bunnies : A Bedtime ABC and Counting Book

ANNOTATION

In this updated nursery rhyme, the old lady who lived in the shoe has twenty-six children, one for each letter of the alphabet.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Follow Mother Rabbit through her rambling house and garden as she tucks in a whole alphabet of baby bunnies, from Abel through Zed. This cozy bedtime book has the comforting familiarity of a lullaby combined with the fundamental concepts toddlers adore.

About the Author

Rick Walton is the author of more than thirty books for children, including So Many Bunnies: A Bedtime ABC and Counting Book and What to Do When a Bug Climbs in Your Mouth and Other Poems to Drive You Buggy. When he is not writing, he likes to read, travel, and play the guitar. Rick lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife, Ann, and their four children.

SYNOPSIS

Bunny bedtime books are favorites, and this book is three in one: an ABC book, a counting book, and a bedtime story.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In this riff on the Mother Goose tale about the old woman in the shoe, a family of 26 bunny children whose names all begin with a different letter in the alphabet are used to teach ABCs and 1, 2, 3s. "The artwork is chock-full of cozy details and possesses a Victorian flair," wrote PW. Ages 3-8. (Feb.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum

So Many Bunnies does double-duty. It gets kids hip-hopping into Easter as well as into National Poetry Month, celebrated each April. Rick Dalton's ingenious rhyming text weaves alphabet and counting lessons into a sweet tale of Old Mother Rabbit who lived in a shoe. Unlike her human counterpart, Mother Rabbit knows just what to do and where to tuck her twenty-six sleepy darlings, from "1 was named Abel./He slept on the table" to "26 was named Zed./He slept on the shed." Paige Miglio's soft-toned watercolors are a lovely complement to this lullaby.

Children's Literature - Deborah Palgon

"Old Mother Rabbit lived in a shoe. She had twenty-six children and knew what to do." So begins this gentle bedtime ABC and counting book. Rhyming, repetitive text along with bright watercolor paintings will make this an enjoyable book for both toddlers as well as early readers.

School Library Journal

PreSOld Mother Rabbit lives in a shoe, but unlike her famous predecessor, she knows exactly what to do with her 26 offspring. After feeding them broth and carrots, she puts them all to bed in some rather strange places, leading readers through her house and garden as well as the alphabet: "1 was named Abel. He slept on the table. 2 was named Blair. She slept in a chair." The repetition of the exact same phrasing may get a little tiresome for adults reading aloud, but children will enjoy guessing where each rabbit sleeps. The napping places range from the fairly ordinary (chair, pillow) to the whimsical (trike, sink, trellis, bowl). The large, soft watercolor illustrations of cuddly bunnies, each with a distinct personality, will carry well in a group and are rich with clever details: carrot wallpaper, bunny dolls, and rabbit-shaped bedposts. The final two-page painting, in which all of the youngsters hop into bed with their mother, provides children with the opportunity to guess which bunny is which. Comforting and cozy, this attractive title is a good choice for pajama storytimes.Dawn Amsberry, Oakland Public Library, CA

Kirkus Reviews

"Old Mother Rabbit lived in a shoe./She had twenty-six children and knew what to do." Following that introduction Mother Rabbit proceeds to put her children to bed in alphabetical order, beginning with "1 was named Abel/He slept on the table" to "26 was named Zed/He slept on the shed." The children settle down in all manner of bedtime perches, from tree branches to tricycles to the kitchen sinkþone conks out on the garden gate. True to their youthful nature, some of the children are doing anything except sleep, scribbling on wallpaper, riding a hobby horse, and engaging in a rousing pillow fight. Miglio's detailed watercolor illustrations of the swarming brood give the story a homey Victorian setting while adding plenty of humor. Although the text is inventive and funny, it becomes predictable before the entire alphabet has been covered. A twist ending provides a final, compensating laugh: As the mother settles into her comfortable feather bed, all 26 bunnies abandon their makeshift arrangements and pile in with her. (Picture book. 2-4)