Bunny books are my kryptonite. I’ve had an ever growing collection of bunny books since I was a little girl, thanks to my mom who has faithfully given them as gifts over the years. One of the best parts of having a children’s book collection of any sort is sharing them with your own children. It’s been a joy to see my two little ones delight in these stories as much as I did/do.
Several of these recommendations are no longer in print but are worth searching out at the library or getting a used copy from an online seller like Thrift Books or Discover Books (I try to avoid previous library books when ordering from these sites so we don’t get the plasticy cover).
Whether you’re looking for a book to slip in to an Easter basket or you have a bunny loving kiddo, these bunny books are some of my favorite! I’m always looking for more bunny books, though, so please share any I missed in the comments!
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I’m sad this isn’t in print any more (an absolute classic in our household), but it’s available used. Tomie de Paola is an iconic children’s book author and illustrator. Too Many Hopkins subtly teaches the basics of gardening, how to work together and all the Hopkins have fun alliterative names.
This classic IS still in print! Little Nicholas in his cute red overalls talks about the things he does each season. The unique size of this board book is fun but it also comes in regular Golden Book size.
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
Doerrfeld so perfectly captures the essence of empathy and kindness in her minimalist text and sweet illustrations. A very poignant reminder for me as a parent what speaks louder than words is a listening ear.
Every child’s library should include this book. I can smell the flowers even now…
“Bunnies are for kissing. They’re meant for hugging too. Sure as we have floppy ears, sweet Bunny, we love you!” Quoted from memory because this book is a favorite of my kids and has a catchy rhyme scheme.
Naturally, I liked the characters in the Bunny Trouble stories because the little sister is named Emily. Even if you don’t share a name with one of the characters, these are fun and especially good for Easter because this troupe of bunnies paint Easter eggs for a living.
Even though the Fuzzy Rabbit books aren’t in print, I can’t leave them off the list. Used copies abound. Fuzzy has adventures in the park and with his owner’s little brother. The illustrations are charmingly old-fashioned.
If you’re child enjoys cooking, this little bunny will be a welcome addition to your collection. Bunny and several other students go to Chef George’s School of Dessertology and learn the basics of baking. There isn’t much of a storyline but the illustrations are packed with silliness (Dog making a shoe-fly pie…) that is fun to talk about with kiddos.
What do rabbits do all day? This family of rabbits will show you all the fun things they do – smelling flowers in Spring, lazing for hours in Summer, and digging holes, to name a few. The text is poetic and the illustrations are unique and charming.
There are plenty of versions of this classic, but I’m quite partial to the illustrations by Sarah Massini in this beautiful edition.
Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, is a treasure. She writes books that have depth of sentiment but still connect with little readers. In Bunny’s First Spring, Bunny experiences the changing seasons for the first time and fears “the beautiful earth must be dying.” Lloyd-Jones perfectly captures the wonder and beauty to be found in the signs of passing time.
Barnes and Noble pushed this book last Spring for good reason. Hudson’s illustrations are vibrant and engaging. She also doesn’t skimp on the end sheets and front matter, all of which are boldly illustrated with fun extras. Ultimately about sharing, Too Many Carrots follows rabbit as he tries to find a home suitable for himself and his carrots.
Poor PJ Funnybunny does not like being a bunny. He tries living with all sorts of other animals only to figure out being a bunny isn’t so bad after all. I can’t count the number of times I’ve read this since I was a kid. Great repeating text and an opportunity to demonstrate your moose calling abilities.
The Bold, Brave Bunny by Beth Ferry, Illustrated by Chow Hon Lam
This reminded me of a modern It’s Not Easy Being A Bunny. (One of the opening lines reads, “There were so many bunnies. It. Wasn’t. Even. Funny.”) Teetu becomes overwhelmed and frustrated by the abundance of bunnies in his family, so he takes a break from the burrow. He knows that B is for more than bunnies – B is for brave, B is for bold – but he unexpectedly discovers that B is also for belonging. Much like the title, the illustrations are bold and high contrast making it a very striking read. Thank you so much to Harper Kids for our copy.
Anita Jeram is one of my favorite illustrators (think Bunny My Honey, You’re All My Favorites, and Skip To The Loo, My Darling – an amazing potty training book)
Another set (this is the first) of books that has a dad-child relationship on display. This one would be dad-daughter-bunny… Willems uses colored drawings over black and white photographs to illustrate these Knuffle Bunny adventures. They are hilarious.
Ichikawa’s love of Paris is evident in her gorgeous illustrations of Luxembourg Gardens where poor La La Rose gets separated from her friend Clementine. La La Rose narrates her journey around the Gardens until she is finally reunited with Clementine. I am so sad this award winning book isn’t Prime-able. It’s worth searching out. If you can’t find it, cry your way through You Are My I Love You and get a sense for Ichikawa’s gift for illustrating.
For our family, Easter is about celebrating that Jesus died and rose again to give us eternal life with Him. That being said, we aren’t above bunnies and eggs and baskets of goodies. This is a clever riff on The Night Before Christmas.
Bunny and Papa search for the perfect night light. Bun has a bit of an attitude, but I like that this includes the dad and talks about sources of light. The end has a song that my children enjoy hearing me sing (tunelessly) differently every time we read it.
A strong female protagonist (the country bunny, mom to 21 baby buns) makes this a timely tale despite it’s publication date almost 80 years ago. The Country Bunny proves herself wise, kind, clever, and swift enough to be one of the five Easter Bunnies who deliver eggs all over the world.
Another book that I must have acquired in elementary school and have vivid reading memories of the illustrations. Robert sees an increasing number of rabbits for every day in April. Lots of humor in the illustrations.
Confession: I still sleep with my childhood blanket. And it has a name. (Insert monkey covering eyes emoji here.) I have a very tolerant husband. Bean can’t find her blanket and learns to cope without it until she realizes she really is big enough to not have one. Apparently Bean is more mature than me.
If there were book trump cards, this would be mine. Bunny and books. Need I say more?
A larger board book that celebrate the everyday joys between a momma and baby bun. Impossibly cute illustrations. My beginning reader can make his way through this on his own.
Another one I can’t make it through without crying. If you know anything about Angie Smith’s story (she’s a Christian author/blogger who lost a daughter, Audrey, in utero), it will make the name of this Bun even more poignant.
A classic by the author of Goodnight Moon and Little Fur Family (just realized that connection and my mind is a little blown).
Bunnies for Tea by Kate StoneThe book is shaped like a tea cup. Sweet illustrations and rhyming text.
It’s always good for me to have books around that help me (and the kids) celebrate Winter. This one gets readers to interact and help Bunny get skiing. Bunny Overboard and Hungry Bunny are also so fun!
I can’t vouch for these yet, but I did just request ALL the Betty Bunny books by Michael Kaplan from the library…
Emily C Gardner 