Family Moving Day facts for kids
The book's original French cover
|
|
| Author | Geneviève Huriet |
|---|---|
| Original title | La famille Passiflore déménage |
| Translator | Patricia Lantier-Sampon Chong-in Kim |
| Illustrator | Loïc Jouannigot |
| Cover artist | Loïc Jouannigot |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Series | Beechwood Bunny Tales (La Famille Passiflore) |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
| Publisher | Éditions Milan Gareth Stevens Tonga Chulpansa (1993) |
|
Publication date
|
9 September 1992 |
|
Published in English
|
December 1992 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 30 |
| ISBN | 2-86726-777-3 |
| OCLC | 26723859 |
| Preceded by | Violette's Daring Adventure (1991) |
| Followed by | Les beignets flambés (1995) |
Family Moving Day (which in French is La famille Passiflore déménage) is the seventh book in the popular Beechwood Bunny Tales series. It was first published in 1992 in France by Éditions Milan. Later that year, Gareth Stevens published it in the United States. The story is about the Bellflower family of rabbits. They decide to move to a new house on the other side of the hill where they live. Everyone is excited about the move, except for Periwinkle. He finds it hard to get used to new places. Because of this, Periwinkle runs away, and his father, Bramble, has to find him.
As of 2008, this book was the last in the Beechwood series to be translated into English. However, the original French series is still being published. There are now over 30 books in the series! Family Moving Day has also been published in other languages, like Korean and Slovene. An animated version of the story appeared in December 2001. It was one of the first episodes of The Bellflower Bunnies TV series on France's TF1 network.
Contents
The Bellflower Family Moves Home
The Bellflower family's old home was getting too small. So, Bramble Bellflower (whose French name is Onésime Passiflore) decided they should move. He kept it a secret at first. Later, he took his family to the other side of the hill to show them their new property. They didn't know that Bramble had already bought and fixed up the house, which was called The Berries. It would take eight days for the family to fully settle into their new place.
Periwinkle's Worries
Periwinkle, one of Bramble's five children, was very upset about moving. He was afraid he would miss his neighbor, Pimpernelle, and his old home. He also thought his new room, which he would share with his brother Dandelion, was too big.
The next day, Mistletoe, another young Bellflower, wanted to finish fixing up the new house. He asked his four siblings to help him. They secretly went off to work. But when Papa Bramble came in to find a lost tool, he was very unhappy with the mess they had made. Angrily, he and Aunt Zinnia sent them back home. Papa then had to clean up after them.
Moving Day Arrives
Soon, Papa Bramble announced that two strong rams would carry the family's furniture in carts. The Pedal Express would also help with the move. When moving day arrived, Bramble, Mistletoe, Poppy, and the Bellflowers' neighbors all helped move the items. Aunt Zinnia and the other children waited for them at The Berries, their new home.
By afternoon, everything was in its place. But then the bunnies realized that Periwinkle was nowhere to be found! The lonely child had set up a small canvas tent near their old home, close to a hazelnut grove.
Finding Periwinkle
Knowing where Periwinkle might be, Papa Bramble went to look for him. He eventually found the tent. Inside, he gently reminded his son that no one lived at the old Bellflower home anymore. But when Papa told him about a fun housewarming party at their new place, Periwinkle cheered up! The two of them then headed back over the hill to join in the fun.
Book Translations
Amy Bauman's English translation of Family Moving Day was published by Gareth Stevens in December 1992. It was the last Beechwood Bunny Tale book to have an edition published in North America. In South Korea, Chong-in Kim's translation is called Sant'okki kajok ŭi isa (산토끼가족의이사). In 1997, a Slovene version was published by Obzorja in Maribor. It was translated by Janko Moder and titled Robidovi se selijo.
Television Episode Adaptation
| "Room to Move" | |
|---|---|
| The Bellflower Bunnies episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Moran Caouissin |
| Written by | Original book, Family Moving Day: Geneviève Huriet Teleplay: Valérie Baranski |
| Original air date | 25 December 2001 13 February 2006 4 September 2008 |
In 2001, Family Moving Day was turned into an animated TV episode. It was the first official episode (and second one aired) of TF1's animated series The Bellflower Bunnies. In France, it was called "Le déménagement." In Germany, it was "Ein neues Zuhause," and in English, "Room to Move." The TV series actually started with an episode called "Slide On," which was the third in the official show order.
This animated version of the story is very similar to the book. However, there are a few small changes. For example, a character named Magda the magpie tries a "Blueberry Ghost" trick to scare the Bellflowers out of their new home. Also, the young bunnies sing a fun, fast-paced jazz song called "Bunnies on the Move." This song was written by Valérie Baranski and Daniel Scott.
