Caldecott #4 Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale

Knuffle Bunny:  A Cautionary Tale (2005)
Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems
Caldecott Honor (2006)

I think just about anyone could relate to this children's book. I know that I sure can! I have a yellow, worn out blanket that I have had since the day I was born. "Woobie" as I call it, went everywhere with me, much like Knuffle Bunny went with Trixie. My brother had a stuffed dog pillow that went everywhere with him. As children, the majority of us have had a security blanket or stuffed animal we hated to let go. The way in which the book was illustrated was amazing. The use of actual pictures for the setting made the cartoon characters jump of the page. I loved how Knuffle Bunny and Trixie both had huge, wide eyes throughout the book, and Trixie's parents had little black dots for eyes. This is most certainly one of the most creatively illustrated children's books I have seen. It is crystal clear why it was named a Caldecott Honor winner. I would not have thought that the real-life pictures would have mixed so well with cartoon illustrations. My favorite part of the book is when the entire family is running back to the laundry mat to find the lost Knuffle Bunny. The man's expression on the stoop of the building is priceless; along with the mother's tongue sticking out. The cartoons are drawn in a way where the expressions of the characters are true to real life. I enjoyed Mo Willems' book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, so I was pleased to find that he has also had written and illustrated this book as well. I had seen this book in the school library before, but I never checked it out for my students. I will now be on the look out for other Knuffle Bunny tales.