Betty Bunny Loves Easter

by Michael Kaplan, Stephane Jorisch (Illustrator)

Overview

Nobunny does an Easter egg hunt quite like Betty Bunny! For fans of Ladybug Girl and Fancy Nancy, check out the loveable handful from the creator of Disney’s T.V. series Dog with a Blog.

Yes, Betty Bunny loves Easter. She loves it so much that she just knows when she grows up, she will be the Easter Bunny. So it comes as quite a shock when she learns that her brothers and sister have been helping her in the egg hunt every year. Determined to find eggs on her own, this time, Betty Bunny also finds out a thing or two about the satisfaction of accomplishment.
 
Going it alone, Betty Bunny strikes again in the latest in her series, a funny Easter tale of independence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803740617
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/10/2015
Series:	Betty Bunny
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Michael Kaplan is an Emmy award-winning television writer and producer and his career as a comedy writer included stints on two of television's most respected comedies, Roseanne and Frasier. He co-created and Executive Produced I'm In the Band for Disney XD. He is the creator of show, Dog With a Blog on Disney Channel. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.Stephane Jorisch has illustrated numerous picture books, including Jabberwocky, for which he won the prestigious Governor General's Award. He was also nominated for the Hans Christian Anderson Award. Mr. Jorisch lives with his wife and three children in Montreal, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

The antics of Betty and her kin are entertaining…Jorisch's unusual artwork…calls for more than one flip through the pages. His delicately expressive, large-headed bunnies have lanky, human-like bodies, with detailed clothing so well co-ordinated and interesting it all seems to come from some impossibly well-curated boutique.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

01/12/2015
The rambunctious and oft-stubborn Betty Bunny adores Easter, and she knows that she has the necessary skills to become the Easter Bunny, despite what her siblings think. “Only the Easter Bunny can be the Easter Bunny,” says Betty’s sister, Kate. “But you could grow up to be a weird bunny who runs around acting like the Easter Bunny,” offers older brother Bill, whose deadpan teenage asides are as constant (and welcome) a presence as Betty’s unrestrained enthusiasm. Jorisch’s lean-bodied rabbits continue to embody a tight-knit modern family, exchanging gentle chides and knowing, sidelong glances. Despite Betty’s siblings’ skepticism over her future career plans, they happily help Betty find Easter eggs during an egg hunt, which makes her fuming mad: “Stop it!” she shouts. “Easter is my favorite holiday. I’m going to be the Easter Bunny someday. I can find the eggs by myself.” Putting her desire for autonomy into practice turns egg-hunting frustrations to a source of pride in this sweetly snarky addition to the series. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. Illustrator’s agent: Wanda Nowak. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"A tight-knit modern family, exchanging gentle chides and knowing, sidelong glances . . . in this sweetly snarky addition to the series."—Publishers Weekly

"Through hard work and resilience, the young rabbit grows a little more independent and discovers that achievement through autonomy can be rewarding. . . . Here the theme of independence is prominent without ever becoming didactic. . . . A definite hit during Easter season."—School Library Journal 

"A refreshing contrast to more saccharine [Easter] holiday titles. Youngsters suffering from the gap between "I want to do it myself" and the desire for results will empathize with Betty's dilemma."—BCCB 

From the Publisher

01/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Betty Bunny is back, and, as her family agrees, she is "a handful." After she declares, "'When I grow up, I'm going to be the Easter Bunny,'" she is determined to prove herself during the Easter egg hunt. But when she only manages to find eggs with the help of her siblings, she resolves to locate some on her own. Through hard work and resilience, the young rabbit grows a little more independent and discovers that achievement through autonomy can be rewarding. As in the earlier books, there is a lesson to be learned; here the theme of independence is prominent without ever becoming didactic. Jorisch's artwork—a combination of pencil, ink, watercolor, and gouache—is detailed and vivid, featuring an assortment of fully clad animals and action-packed pages. A definite hit during Easter season.—Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2015-01-20
That mischievous handful known as Betty Bunny is back for her fifth exploration of the boundaries of acceptable bunny behavior.In her previous escapades, Betty learned lessons in patience, accepting limits, honesty and persistence. These behaviors all come into play in this latest story when Betty attends an Easter egg hunt with her family. Her three older siblings help Betty find lots of eggs to put in her huge Easter basket, but Betty is dissatisfied with her impressive egg-gathering results because she didn't actually find the eggs herself. She starts over and finds just three eggs on her own, taking pride in her solo accomplishment. This praiseworthy attitude is totally upended by the unfortunate conclusion, in which Betty gets into her mother's purse and is caught taking money to buy an even bigger Easter basket. Betty's rationalization for stealing is to repeat her parents' earlier encouragement during the egg hunt: "It means so much more if I find it myself." Funny, yes, but distressing too, as this is the end of the story. This latest caper may be just a bit too sassy for some adults, though others may consider it an acceptable teaching point. Betty and her family and friends are visually as charming as ever in cleverly detailed watercolor illustrations that bring the anthropomorphic rabbits to life. This story's theme of self-reliance fails to adequately address keeping one's hand out of purses (and pockets) that belong to others. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Review