The Runaway Bunny facts for kids
 |
|
| Author | Margaret Wise Brown |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Clement Hurd |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher | Harper |
|
Publication date
|
1942 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 48 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-077582-7 |
| OCLC | 314185 |
The Runaway Bunny is a famous picture book from 1942. It was written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. The story is about a little rabbit who wants to run away from home. But his mother always tells him, "if you run away, I will run after you."
This book is the first in a special group of books by Brown and Hurd. This group is often called their "classic series." Other books in this series include Goodnight Moon and My World. You might recognize the picture of a cow jumping over the moon. This picture is famous from Goodnight Moon, but it first appeared in The Runaway Bunny!
A copy of The Runaway Bunny even shows up in Goodnight Moon. Also, the drawing of the mother fishing for her bunny child is in both books. All three books have been put together in a collection called Over the Moon.
In 2021, an animated TV special based on the book was released. It came out on HBO Max on March 25, 2021. The special has Tracee Ellis Ross as the narrator.
What the Story Is About
In the book, a little bunny tells his mother he plans to run away. He imagines himself becoming many different things. He thinks about being a fish, a rock on a mountain, or a small flower. He also imagines being a bird, a sailboat, or a circus acrobat.
No matter what the bunny imagines, his mother always finds a way to follow him. She appears as a fisherman, a mountain climber, or a gardener. She also shows up as a tree, a cloud, or a trapeze walker. In the end, the little bunny decides to stay right where he is. He chooses to remain his mother's little bunny.
The pictures in the book are very interesting. They switch between two different styles. Some pages have black-and-white drawings with the story text. Other pages have big, colorful painted pictures that spread across two pages. This mix of black-and-white and color is also used in the other books in the series.
In Pop Culture
The Runaway Bunny has been used in many different ways. It has even been turned into a concerto. A concerto is a type of music played by an orchestra with a solo instrument. This one is for violin, a reader, and an orchestra. It was created by an American composer named Glen Roven. He used the words from the book in his music.
The book was also mentioned in a TV show called Cheers. In one episode, a character named Carla Tortelli talks about the book. She says she read it to her eight kids many times. She also said it made her cry every time.
The Runaway Bunny is also mentioned in two plays that won the Pulitzer Prize. These plays are called Wit and Rabbit Hole. It was also in the movie version of Wit. The book was even referenced in a Korean TV drama called Mother.
A musical play based on The Runaway Bunny was also created. Paul Lewis wrote the story, music, and lyrics for it. Gabriel Carbajal also helped write the story. This musical first opened in Boston in February 2019.
