Chloe

Chloe the Bunny #2

by Peter McCarty

Chloe has ten older brothers and sisters and ten younger brothers and sisters.She’s in the middle and she loves it—especially when they all gather for family fun time.

But when Dad brings home a surprise one evening, Chloe finds she is not in the middle anymore . . . but not for long!

With gorgeous colored-ink drawings and funny, spare text, Peter McCarty tells a winning story of family, imagination, and love.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Rabbits, Fiction

34 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2012

About the author

I was born in 1966 in Westport, Connecticut right in the middle of two older brothers and two younger sisters. We kept our mother busy while my father worked long hours at IBM. Most of my childhood was spent in my head. I was usually recreating a battle from World War II or running from dinosaurs in prehistoric times. To this day, I develop characters and environments based on worlds I first created when I was three. I am grateful to my mother who kept us surrounded with art. I come from a long line of artists and my grandmother, Grace Boyd, was the best. She died before I was born, but her fantastic paintings and drawings were all around us.

Since my father worked for IBM, we moved often. I think being on the move during my formative years has been the reason I tend to create books about returning home. By the time I graduated from high school we were living in Boulder, Colorado. At the University of Colorado, I began my long career as a professional student. I first thought I was going to be an engineer so I took all kinds of science and math classes. I enjoyed solving math problems, but I could not see myself working in a lab. Along the way, I continued to draw and create worlds as I always have. My friends and teachers were very supportive. Around the time when I should have been graduating, I decided to start over and go to art school at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. I finally graduated from college, in 1992.

One of my illustration teachers, William Low introduced me to Laura Godwin, a children’s book editor at Henry Holt and Company. She gave me my first professional art job to illustrate a little science book, Frozen Man written by David Getz. I worked really hard on that book. Laura was impressed; so I was offered to illustrate a picture book, Night Driving written by John Coy. Again I did the best illustrations I knew how, like my life depended on it. One drawing of a car going over a bridge made my girlfriend cry. She said, “Oh, you can draw.” We were then married in 1995.

Night Driving was first published in 1996 and received praise from critics and won some awards. Laura Godwin then offered me the best of all offers; I could write and illustrate whatever I wanted. Little Bunny on the Move came into my mind after months of searching for a story. Little Bunny on the Move was published in 1999 and won a Best Illustrated Book of the Year from the New York Times. That book established my career and gave me the confidence to continue to write and illustrate the stories from my mind.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe by Peter McCarty is an adorable story filled with family and love. Words that inspire sharing time as a family with imagination, interaction, and laughter.

For me, the pictures held the magic though. Pages filled with warm, rich colors pulled me right into the book. The clear, crisp illustrations flowed, swirled, and almost hopped around the page capturing the bunny family’s energy and cuteness perfectly. I so wanted to reach in and scratch their cute bunny ears! :)

Fun for the whole family.

I also recommend having bubble wrap on hand as a sure-fire way to capture your audience’s attention. Bubble wrap plays a key role in this tale. The pop and snap of the bubbles in the book and out will make this a memorable experience for any reader. Who doesn’t love bubble wrap? :D

8/19/12

[Emily Matview · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was great and I’m surprised to see such a mixed reaction here. The art is cute and McCarty doesn’t beat you over the head with the message – a positive message about pretend play. I would recommend a parent read this book to their preschooler and have a box and bubble wrap ready to play with after!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the message of this book. It is refreshing to see a child (okay a bunny) who isn't engrossed with the TV and who convinces her family that an active imagination is more entertaining.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, yes, we get it, digital media is evil.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe the bunny, the object of Henry's affections in author/illustrator Peter McCarty's Henry in Love , returns in this second picture-book. Here she is the middle child in her family, with ten elder siblings and ten younger. Although normally an enthusiastic participant in group activities, Chloe isn't thrilled when her father brings home a television, and family fun time turns into everyone sitting together, staring at the screen. Fortunately, Chloe has an empty box and lots of bubble wrap to keep herself entertained, and to draw her relatives' attention away from the television...

It's been a few years since I read Henry in Love , but looking over my review, I see that I loved McCarty's artwork but was unimpressed by his story. With Chloe, I once again loved the illustrations, but was also favorably impressed by the story. As someone raised without a TV during my formative years, I appreciated the message, implicit in the story here, that actual familial interaction and group play beats out passively watching televised entertainment. I also appreciated the ending, in which Chloe imagines that she is hearing bubble-wrap being popped in her dreams, when the artwork makes it plain that Daddy Bunny is busy popping downstairs. Recommended to fellow Peter McCarty fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories that take a less-than-positive view of television.

[Megan (ReadingRover) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore McCarty’s soft pen and ink illustrations and the story was sweet but there wasn’t much to it. Chloe’s large family spends a lot of fun quality time together then they get a tv. Chloe feels left out but then she figures out a way to snap them out of their tv watching daze. Nothing much actually happens. I’ve read a few of McCarty’s books and this one is probably my least favorite. The illustrations make the book.

[Antoinette Scully · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe loves spending time with her family. Then the family gets a tv. Is that the end of the family games? ••• I liked this story but I felt it just sort of ended. It’s a good ploy if you want your kids to have more family time and demonize the tv.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable picture book about Chloe and her rabbit family. With Chloe's inspiration the family learns to value active, creative play over quietly watching television.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe is a bunny – the middle-bunny – in a large family (she has 20 older and younger siblings). Chloe loves her family and especially loves when they have “family fun time” together. When Dad brings home a new television, however, Chloe is upset. She doesn’t think watching TV is fun at all. She and her tiny little sister Bridget find a way to have fun anyway – using the box and the bubble wrap that once packaged their TV. Soon the rest of the family has joined them and the TV – mostly – is forgotten!

Peter McCarty’s illustrations are amazing. He uses textures, patterns, and shading to make Chloe and her family pop off the pages (you may be familiar with his style from Caldecott Honor book Hondo & Fabian). I liked the values expressed – quality family time, brothers and sisters who care about and for each other (and who don’t bicker and fight all the time), and TV is the devil!!! (or, there are a million things you can do – that are more fun – besides watching TV). The bunnies might want to consider family planning – a 22 bun family is a lot of rabbits to support! The story is so-so, but the artwork is lovely (and features bunnies – an added bonus, in my opinion).

[Kifflie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh -- maybe I'm trying to read too much into this book, but something about it felt off.

Is it a story about the difficulties of being a middle child in a large family? Is it a diatribe against television as family entertainment? Is it about the (questionable, IMHO) joys of popping bubble wrap?

I'm just not sure what Peter McCarty was trying to get at here, and it's too bad, because I did enjoy his Hondo and Fabian so much. The 20 bunny brothers and sisters seemed rather flat and uninteresting.

I'm just sort of scratching my head over this one.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blek, could the message hit you over the head hard enough? Three stars for the exxxxxxxcellent, expressive artwork. I want McCarty to do a portrait of my kitties. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are beautiful, but the turn off the TV message was not quite driven home. It might have, if the story had encompassed more than just one day.

[Bonnie Lambourn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally loved this book, but understand why some people have been nonplussed or confused. It seems they have assumptions a middle children in large families always feels lost. I do think Peter McCarty would have had a stronger book if Chloe's expressions were big and clear. Because she is actually delighted to be the middle child. How do I know for sure? It says so on the flyleaf before the story. And it says it in the very first line of the book. But people are waiting for this to cause the problem. Instead the problem is her fun time with all her siblings is taken away by a new tv entering. Having read the reviews I think you need to read this book without preconceptions, or read it twice before reading it aloud.

So why did I give it 5 stars? Because - Chloe is not simply upset about change, she understands the value of play, creative fun, and having a family time to share this! The bubble wrap scene with 23 bunnies is a surprise and so much fun! and the ending is priceless - dad secretly popping bubble wrap!
Also, the art is fun - and shows the fun parts so clearly moving from very straight still images to suddenly a page filled with bunnies flying all around the page.

I recommend you share this with your family whatever size it is - or a class. Others have suggested bubble wrap fun...also how about a full on family play time with a big box - or even just making a time to do the norm games together daily - like building blocks, play tag, or have a dance party or make paper bunnies and create a puppet show? A great creative play instigator!

Also, if you have a child in the middle who sometimes feels lost, Chloe is the key instigator of correcting the problem here and making fun for the entire family again. She is the power of positive change! That makes her a great role model, and this also is a way to bring up those difficult discussions where your child may be different, may wish siblings played with them more, were kinder, or needs more time alone than Chloe the bunny.

I see books as little windows into other worlds, and tools to use in our understanding of out place in this world, and not all have to be necessarily perfect stories in every way.

[Kaitlin Bisbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

McCarty's "Chloe" is a story about a bunny who lives in a large family of brothers and sisters. One day the father brings home a tv, and Chloe convinces her siblings (and eventually her parents too) that playing together is more fun than watching tv. This story could be used in the classroom to illustrate to students the importance of stepping away from technology and engaging not only with our imaginations, but with each other. Especially in the technological age that we currently occupy, where more and more of our elementary age students are having access to technology younger and younger. That technology is starting to create a disconnect in the world of socialization that could really affect our society. It's important to remind students to put down the electronics every once in a while, and enjoy quality time with the people around them who matter the most. I would introduce this story on a day where maybe my own students were having issues putting away their devices and focusing on class. The illustrations are just too cute in this story, and Chloe and all of her siblings are each unique and wearing their own little outfits and wearing their own little expressions. I like that Peter McCarty's characters are always different animals, which adds a subtle touch of diverse tones to his writing.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: Chloe has ten brothers and sisters. One day Chloe's dad brings home a T.V. in a big box. The whole family swarms the T.V. and that is all they want to do. Chloe decides the T.V. and watching shows are not that fun. She finds bubble wrap in the box and decides to play with it. All of her brothers and sisters notice how much fun Chloe is having and they decide to play with her. In the end Chloe goes to bed and dreams about the bubble wrap.

Review: This book was not bad, but also not my favorite. The illustrations were not the best and the text was not that exciting. It seemed kind of boring and did not really grab my attention.

Connection to Profession: This book would be good to read to students to show them that technology is not what makes you happy. There are so many different things that you can do that would be just as fun. I would also maybe find a different book if you wanted to talk about this topic because I do not think it did a good enough job.

[Dulce German]

This book is about a small bunny that has 10 older siblings and 10 younger siblings. She loves having family time with them and playing around have fun. One day her father brought something that she didn’t like cause it was going to change the family fun she loved so much. So she tries to come up with something that will get her family ready to play again. The illustration of the book is sketched with color on them, very simply but still pretty and make you want to see more drawings in this way. I liked the drawings in the book they are very pretty and detailed, I also like how the bunny wanted to spend time with her family instead of sitting there doing nothing. This book can be used when talking about families, we can ask students what is one thing they like doing with their families. We can also ask how many siblings they have.

[Amy Cohen · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were several things I didn't like about this book:
1. It encourages TV viewing by talking about how the family got a new TV and the whole family sits together to watch it.
2. The page that depicts dinnertime talks about how the rabbits eat vegetables and noodles for dinner, but it shows one rabbit eating bread.
3. The baby rabbits play with bubble wrap but bubble wrap it is not a baby-safe toy.
4. The family has more than 20 kids! I know they are they are rabbits but the family size should be realistic so that kids can identify with it.

[Aaron W. Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read reviews where grown men and women are trying to analyze and elucidate the “hidden” motives and meanings of this book. Ha. Hahaha. Ha ha. Ha. It’s a children’s book. The beauty of imagination and presence and playing and being together is exemplary. Simple, simple story. Nicely illustrated.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and simple drawings, although the plot is a bit flat. I just noticed on this reading that the pound cake (featured as a King Kong-esque character on the family's TV) looks wherever the family is looking in the various illustrations, which is kind of funny.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a very satisfying ending. Do they keep the television?

[Seema Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, twee illustrations with a nice readaloud story about the importance of actively engaging as a family.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute illustrations, enterprising main character, but a little preachy. However, popping bubble wrap IS more fun than TV, so...

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too heavy handed in message.

[Phobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable art but the moralizing in the story felt a bit heavy to me. Though, I do like bubblewrap and I enjoyed the twist at the end of the book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute for story time.

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to pair with What Ollie Saw.

[J. Blair Hartman III · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one works fine for me with repeating rabbits and existential dilemas

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chloe gets her siblings to play instead of watching TV.

[Alana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt very narcissistic, somehow. But taking the focus away from TV is always a good thing, I guess.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet story about making your own fun with family as a replacement for TV--and my kids loved how big the family was.