The Runaway Bunny (Roven) facts for kids

The Runaway Bunny is a special kind of music piece called a concerto. It's made for a violin, a storyteller (or "reader"), and a full orchestra. The music was written by an American composer named Glen Roven. The words for the story come from a famous children's book, also called The Runaway Bunny, written by Margaret Wise Brown.

This musical story was first performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 29, 2008. Glen Roven himself led the American Symphony Orchestra, and the famous actress Glenn Close was the storyteller.

Famous Storytellers

Many well-known people have performed in The Runaway Bunny concerto. Their performances have helped make the music very popular around the world.

• In 2006, Shawn King told the story. She was introduced by Larry King during a special TV show called the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
• For the very first performance at Carnegie Hall, actress Brooke Shields was supposed to be the storyteller. However, she was not able to perform that day.
• Glenn Close was the storyteller for the world premiere performance.
• Other famous storytellers have included Kate Mulgrew and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Music Recordings

You can also listen to The Runaway Bunny on recordings.

• In 2008, Brooke Shields was the narrator for a recording. Barry Wordsworth conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Ittai Shapira played the violin solo.
• In 2012, Catherine Zeta-Jones narrated a different version. This one was for a "Piano Trio," which means it used a piano, violin, and cello instead of a full orchestra.