The Mysterious Sea Bunny

by Peter Raymundo, Peter Raymundo (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of quirky and informative picture books such as Pink Is for Blobfish and Give Bees a Chance comes a delightful story about a sea slug who is way more than meets the eye.

Shh, we are about to observe the one-inch-long sea bunny as it journeys sloooooowly across the ocean floor! Along the way, we'll learn some interesting facts: how it crawls upside-down using slime, how it breathes through its . . . um . . . fluffy-looking backside, and why predators would be in for an unsavory surprise if they ever got ahold of it. Young readers will float away with loads of new knowledge about this fascinating sea slug species, and they'll be reminded to never judge a book by its cover—or a sea slug by its slime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593325148
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/20/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	654,040
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Peter Raymundo was twenty-one years old when he went to work for Walt Disney Studios as part of their Feature Animation Division. There he drew (and drew and drew) for films such as Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, and Mulan. Besides The Mysterious Sea Bunny, Pete is also the author-illustrator of I Am Not a Fish! and the Third Grade Mermaid chapter book series. Pete draws inspiration from the ocean and says it gives him "an endless backdrop for fun and meaningful stories." He and his family live in Celebration, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

05/03/2021

Raymundo (I Am Not a Fish!) dives once more into the deep, this time introducing the sea bunny—an inch-long species of sea slug whose rhinophores resemble rabbit ears and whose gills resemble a fluffy tail. The book is constructed as a presentation by an unseen narrator, who is vainly trying to both distill facts and keep an equally unseen and rambunctiously curious audience quiet so as not to disturb the shy creature. Right after one of the group insists, “Oh, I’m good at being quiet,” there’s a cry of “WHOA! What’s all that... STUFF?” in bold text barely contained by a dialogue balloon; the sea bunny moves across the ocean floor, leaving behind a trail of bright green slime. The explanation, in much smaller, volume-lowering type, includes the wisdom, “You should never judge a slug by its slime.” The book’s centerpiece is a showcase for Raymundo’s exuberant, cinematic style: it shows how the sea bunny ingests a poisonous sea sponge to make itself inedible to a predator. Rendered with thick, energetic black outlines and swaths of translucent color, it’s infotainment of the best kind—smart, funny, and just the right amount of gross. Ages 3–5. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Kirkus Reviews Best Books selection!

* “Humorous, informative, and organic. By using the Q&A format, Raymundo allows the readers to be drawn in and participate in this charming undersea adventure. Raymundo’s experience as a Disney animator can be appreciated in these colorful, engaging illustrations. . . . Not just another fish story—will be a favorite with fledgling marine biologists and landlubbers everywhere.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Exuberant, cinematic . . . it’s infotainment of the best kind—smart, funny, and just the right amount of gross.”—Publishers Weekly

“Good fun, and the playful illustrations capture details of both the darling sea bunny and the vast ocean in a charming, cartoon-like style. Young readers will come away with a flurry of fun facts and a new “furry” favorite.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 2021-04-14
What’s 1 inch long, smells with its ears, and breathes through its butt?

Sea bunnies! Well, they don’t actually breathe through their butts, but their gills are on their rear ends….A gaggle of children is on the hunt for the elusive sea bunny. Their instructor is attempting to curb their loud enthusiasm (but failing at it) while demystifying the mysterious but incredibly cute sea slug known as the sea bunny. It moves along on a trail of self-producing gross slime, has terrible eyesight, and has a nifty secret weapon—poisonous sea sponges! No, it doesn’t fling sopping wet sponges at its enemies, it eats the sponges, which makes it taste disgusting. Ingenious! Raymundo effectively uses large speech bubbles for the kids’ energetic questions and observations, with a smaller, unobtrusive type for the matter-of-fact commentary of their instructor. The interactions among children and adult are humorous, informative, and organic. By using the Q&A format, Raymundo allows the readers to be drawn in and participate in this charming undersea adventure. Raymundo’s experience as a Disney animator can be appreciated in these colorful, engaging illustrations. Who knew a tiny slug could convey so many emotions? The personalities of the characters come through loud and strong—from the endearing and unassuming protagonist to the ravenous villain.

Not just another fish story—will be a favorite with fledgling marine biologists and landlubbers everywhere. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews