What do you think?
Rate this book
My Friend Rabbit: A Picture Book
Rabbit saves the day in a most ingenious way.
When Mouse lets his best friend, Rabbit, play with his brand-new airplane, trouble isn't far behind. From Caldecott Honor award winner Eric Rohmann comes a brand-new picture book about friends and toys and trouble, illustrated in robust, expressive prints.
My Friend Rabbit is the winner of the 2003 Caldecott Medal.
When Mouse lets his best friend, Rabbit, play with his brand-new airplane, trouble isn't far behind. From Caldecott Honor award winner Eric Rohmann comes a brand-new picture book about friends and toys and trouble, illustrated in robust, expressive prints.
My Friend Rabbit is the winner of the 2003 Caldecott Medal.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
49 people are currently reading
4322 people want to read
About the author
Eric Rohmann
39 books67 followersEric Rohmann won the Caldecott Medal for My Friend Rabbit, and a Caldecott Honor for Time Flies. He is also the author and illustrator of Bone Dog, Clara and Asha, A Kitten Tale, and The Cinder-Eyed Cats, among other books for children. He has illustrated many other books, including Last Song, based on a poem by James Guthrie, and has created book jackets for a number of novels, including His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman.
Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. As a boy, he played Little League baseball, read comic books, and collected rocks and minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.
Rohmann has his BS in Art and an MS in Studio Art from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Printmaking/Fine Bookmaking from Arizona State University. He also studied Anthropology and Biology. He taught printmaking, painting, and fine bookmaking at Belvoir Terrace in Massachusettes and introductory drawing, fine bookmaking, and printmaking at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He lives in a suburb of Chicago.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericro...
Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. As a boy, he played Little League baseball, read comic books, and collected rocks and minerals, insects, leaves, and animal skulls.
Rohmann has his BS in Art and an MS in Studio Art from Illinois State University, and an MFA in Printmaking/Fine Bookmaking from Arizona State University. He also studied Anthropology and Biology. He taught printmaking, painting, and fine bookmaking at Belvoir Terrace in Massachusettes and introductory drawing, fine bookmaking, and printmaking at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He lives in a suburb of Chicago.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericro...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,279 reviews
January 24, 2019
Very clever and funny story for a beginning reader. Great for kids 2 and up at least. It is almost a wordless picture book.
The artwork has a nice style and the character of mouse and rabbit are interesting. I love seeing rabbit holding a hippo over his head and other animals. It is so silly and we have all known someone like rabbit. By trying to be so helpful, they just bring on more trouble.
The setup is Rabbit gets mouse’s plane stuck in a tree. Rabbit has an idea to get it out. The nephew loved this silly tale. He gave it 4 stars. We were both laughing at the story. It’s cute. My niece didn’t read it.
The artwork has a nice style and the character of mouse and rabbit are interesting. I love seeing rabbit holding a hippo over his head and other animals. It is so silly and we have all known someone like rabbit. By trying to be so helpful, they just bring on more trouble.
The setup is Rabbit gets mouse’s plane stuck in a tree. Rabbit has an idea to get it out. The nephew loved this silly tale. He gave it 4 stars. We were both laughing at the story. It’s cute. My niece didn’t read it.
May 15, 2016
Now I will admit. I never knew that there was a TV series based on this book until just recently (I guess it is because I just read this book recently). But despite not knowing about that, “My Friend Rabbit” is a children’s book that is written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann and it has won the Caldecott Medal award and this is seriously one children’s book that I had enjoyed immensely!
Mouse’s best friend is Rabbit and they usually play together, especially with Mouse’s special toy airplane. Unfortunately, Rabbit has a tendency to get himself in trouble and when he plays with Mouse’s toy airplane and gets it stuck in a tree, Rabbit of course, has a plan to get the airplane out of the tree. So, Rabbit gathers up various animals in the forest which included an elephant, a rhinoceros, a hippopotamus, a bear, an alligator and many more animals in order to have the animals stand on each other to make a ladder and have mouse climb on the animals to reach his airplane.
Will this plan work or will it cause more problems for everyone?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! This book was simply cute, hilarious and amazing all at the same time and I am so glad that I had the honor to check this book out! Eric Rohmann’s writing is witty and cute, even though there were not that many words on each page. I loved the hilarious moments in this book where Rabbit ends up causing trouble for everyone when he tries to help out his friend Mouse as his tactics such as stacking various animals on top of each other to create a ladder was downright exaggerated to see! I also loved the fact that Mouse was still willing to defend Rabbit throughout the story despite Rabbit making so many mistakes as it shows how strong their friendship is and how Mouse accepts Rabbit for who he is no matter what. Eric Rohmann’s artwork is also something that should be desired as the characters are drawn in bold and sharp edged lines that really bring out so much uniqueness to the story and I loved the way that Rabbit and Mouse are drawn in an extremely cute way on each page.
Overall, “My Friend Rabbit” is a truly fantastic book that children who want to learn more about the power of friendship should definitely check out and this book will remain a favorite among children and parents for many years to come!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
June 25, 2013
My kids thought this was - to put it in their words - fantastic. The pictures are beautifully illustrated and kept all my children interested until the end. Not a lot of words, not even a level 1 reader, however, it has more than enough content as a story to entertain. I can understand why this is a Caldecott winner as well. Two thumbs up from our family.
November 2, 2017
This was a story with some text but it was mostly wordless. My children thought the illustrations were comical and the gentle theme
of loving your friend, faults and all, was sweet.
of loving your friend, faults and all, was sweet.
July 13, 2017
Tonight was a night spent with our friends, and with it, always some time sharing in the bedtime read aloud routine! It's a big deal for Lindsay and I, and this was my "chosen book" for my read aloud. This is one I'm somewhat familiar with, as this was the 2003 Caldecott winner. It is very pleasing to look at and illustrations truly make up most of the story. It tells a tale of a rabbit and mouse, but the rabbit in this story is always finding trouble. He gets involved with a lot of animals, and well, causes a lot of trouble! There's very little text, so as a read aloud, it's limited but opens up a lot of possibilities to creativity and discussion. We enjoyed a lot of discussion - questions and silliness - and it made this an enjoyable experience. Apparently this has become some part of a show or show itself too. I don't know about that - just seemed from our conversation!
February 7, 2017
This was a cute picture book. I think that the humor of the rabbit is what kept it going. He was amazing! I think that this would also potentially serve as a great read a loud for kids!
February 19, 2012
Perhaps the beauty in this picture book story is the universality of the experiences shared by Mouse and Rabbit. Because Mouse loves his friend, he puts up with him, even when he causes trouble. Although Rabbit means well, his solutions to problems often lead to even more problems, and nothing ever goes as he plans. Young and older readers can relate to the story because so many of them have friends just like Rabbit. This simply told tale has a timeless quality about it, and the hand-colored relief prints show Rabbit's gleeful joy as he plays with Mouse's airplane, seemingly unconcerned about the craft becoming stuck in a tree or Mouse's inability to see while he's flying. The simple text follows the two from mishap to mishap. Mouse puts up with Rabbit and joins him in playful adventures but never really tries to change him at all. That makes me wonder about Mouse's patience and tolerance and Rabbit's lack of awareness. What should we do when a friend really is as clueless about consequences as Mouse's friend?
September 4, 2012
A classic story about friendship that anyone of any age will enjoy. The story is about a mouse and his best friend, the rabbit. The mouse is always being pulled into crazy situations by the rabbit who always has another "idea". With every turn of the page, there is another funny moment of the rabbit getting the mouse into trouble. The mouse sticks by the rabbits side even if sometimes he gets mad at him. The story ends with a great message about friendship when the mouse says, "But Rabbit means well. And he is my friend." The message of this story appeals to anybody who has ever lost a friend over something meaningless.
December 14, 2022
I am thankful for picture books. After hours and days of intense reading, I can pick up a picture book and "read" it to myself. The pictures tell the story even more than the sparse words, and like the mouse in this one, I find my mind soaring away.
My Friend Rabbit won the Caldecott Medal in 2003. I hope everyone has a friend like Rabbit!
My Friend Rabbit won the Caldecott Medal in 2003. I hope everyone has a friend like Rabbit!
November 10, 2022
There are not many words but the story is funny! I liked it.
Ages: 3 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
Ages: 3 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
June 3, 2015
This book had wonderful illustrations. I took an art class all four year of high school, and the illustrations in this book have very bold colors. All of the illustrations seem to have extremely chunky or thick lines. They also seem to be very detailed. Another factor that I enjoyed about the illustrations in this book was that all the lines were filled it. I don't like illustrations that lack color or that look like they have barely been covered. I gave this book 4 stars mainly for the illustrations. The story itself was somewhat clique, but it was overall a cute story about two friends and a toy airplane, which ends up leading to trouble between the friends.
November 30, 2019
Delightful, but I opine that it would have been even better as a wordless book. The illustrations would only need a tiny bit of adjustment if this choice had been made. The 'dialogue' spread near the end could be left with words, or without, either way would be fine with me if I'd been the editor. So, 3.5 stars rounded down - could have been four stars.
July 10, 2018
Trouble follows rabbit wherever he goes though mouse, his BFF, tries to be understanding. This picture book has a circular structure, leaving me not quite satisfied with the ending.
October 2, 2010
My Friend Rabbit offers children a way to create their own text to the story. While the book does have some text, it allows children to detail the events with their own imagination on the pages that do not have text. The illustrations speak for themselves in this Caldecott Award winning book. Rabbit, Mouse’s best friend, is always getting into trouble no matter what he does. As the book states, he does mean well. I could imagine a young reader hearing this story and laughing along at the pictures which show the Rabbit’s silly solution for getting Mouse’s toy airplane out of a tree. He gathers all the local zoo animals to form a high tower so he could reach the place. The Rabbit works so hard to move all these large animals which is brilliantly portrayed through use of the bold outlined illustrations. The illustrations are vivid and bright which help to engage a young reader. The bold outline helps the reader to focus on the important parts of the pictures while allowing them to add their own details in their mind. The background of each page is a soft blue which emanates calmness toward the reader. The strengths greatly outweigh the weaknesses of this children’s book. The only weakness I see is that it would be intended more for a read aloud book than a self-selected book for a young reader. Read aloud books are important in our primary classrooms and this one can be used in various ways to support students in writing, comprehension and visualization skills. This story can be used to teach young readers about problem solving in a less serious manner. A possible moral of the story: Even though we mean well, we sometimes make mistakes but keep trying to do our best. Another Caldecott winner that does not use text is The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. Both of these books can offer students a way to see that illustrations can tell a story and readers can use their imaginations to fill in their own text. Grade levels that would benefit from this book are Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
September 28, 2012
Have you ever felt like trouble follows you around like your shadow? If so, you can closely relate with Rabbit from Eric Rohmann’s My Friend Rabbit, which speaks of rabbit and how his helpfulness is often turned into harmfulness for himself and those around him, especially his friend Mouse. In My Friend Rabbit, Mouse has a brand new, shiny red and yellow airplane that he shows Rabbit. Rabbitt is amazed by the plane and asks Mouse to play with it, but the plane ends up stuck in a tree after Rabbit throws it. In trying to help Mouse get his plane back, Rabbit goes around the area and gather animals that he can stack so that he can reach the airplane. But once he finally stacks enough animals, another obstacle arises which makes his friend, Mouse, maintain his belief that wherever Rabbit goes trouble follows.
I really loved this book, firstly, because of Rohmann’s excellent illustrations of the shiny red and yellow plane, the illustrations of the book hooked me to the book and the story reeled me in. The details of the plane are not the only good illustrations in the book, but also the illustrations of the animals throughout allows one to feel as though they are watching a story play out rather than simply reading a story. I think this book would be excellent for the students that seem to find themselves in trouble because in a nice, modified way it teaches them about the effects of causing or always being in trouble. This book will encourage young readers to read more due to the fact that they can easily connect with the material due to the simple and relatable manner by which the story is presented. This book also ignites a love of reading because even I want to know what happens to Rabbit and Mouse beyond this one story and I am almost 21 years old!!!
Read this book so that you can see trouble doesn’t only follow you, but it follows Rabbit as well.
I really loved this book, firstly, because of Rohmann’s excellent illustrations of the shiny red and yellow plane, the illustrations of the book hooked me to the book and the story reeled me in. The details of the plane are not the only good illustrations in the book, but also the illustrations of the animals throughout allows one to feel as though they are watching a story play out rather than simply reading a story. I think this book would be excellent for the students that seem to find themselves in trouble because in a nice, modified way it teaches them about the effects of causing or always being in trouble. This book will encourage young readers to read more due to the fact that they can easily connect with the material due to the simple and relatable manner by which the story is presented. This book also ignites a love of reading because even I want to know what happens to Rabbit and Mouse beyond this one story and I am almost 21 years old!!!
Read this book so that you can see trouble doesn’t only follow you, but it follows Rabbit as well.
June 26, 2017
Picture book
For toddler-early elementary
Rabbit means well, but is always getting himself and Mouse into trouble. Rabbit tries to rescue Mouse's plane from a tree using a variety of animals.
The premise of the book is simple, and has certainly been done before in the world of picture books. At first, it seems that Rabbit will try one animal after another to get Mouse's plane out of the tree, but instead he piles these strangely compliant beasts into an improbable tower. In the end, it's the combination of the two friends that rescues the airplane, and before you know it they're headed into trouble again. The humor is a strong point, seen in both the slapstick plot, the subtly of facial expressions, and the unlikely scenes of Rabbit carrying a deer, crocodile, bear and goose across the page.
The story is told in only a few words, with many pages containing only illustrations. It almost doesn't need a few of the descriptive sentences, like "The animals were not happy." We can gather that information from the way they stare down Rabbit, and the way Rabbit gazes out at the reader in fear. However, with the illustrations are beautifully distracting - bold but gentle, with thick black outlines around each object and twisting, dotted lines showing the trajectory of the plane. Younger children would enjoy identifying the animals, while older children could provide narration for the story, make predictions, and laugh over slapstick elements.
The School Library Journal is brief, summarizing the plot and pointing out the strength of the illustrations. Booklist points out the effective use of sequencing, but focusing more on description than analysis.
For toddler-early elementary
Rabbit means well, but is always getting himself and Mouse into trouble. Rabbit tries to rescue Mouse's plane from a tree using a variety of animals.
The premise of the book is simple, and has certainly been done before in the world of picture books. At first, it seems that Rabbit will try one animal after another to get Mouse's plane out of the tree, but instead he piles these strangely compliant beasts into an improbable tower. In the end, it's the combination of the two friends that rescues the airplane, and before you know it they're headed into trouble again. The humor is a strong point, seen in both the slapstick plot, the subtly of facial expressions, and the unlikely scenes of Rabbit carrying a deer, crocodile, bear and goose across the page.
The story is told in only a few words, with many pages containing only illustrations. It almost doesn't need a few of the descriptive sentences, like "The animals were not happy." We can gather that information from the way they stare down Rabbit, and the way Rabbit gazes out at the reader in fear. However, with the illustrations are beautifully distracting - bold but gentle, with thick black outlines around each object and twisting, dotted lines showing the trajectory of the plane. Younger children would enjoy identifying the animals, while older children could provide narration for the story, make predictions, and laugh over slapstick elements.
The School Library Journal is brief, summarizing the plot and pointing out the strength of the illustrations. Booklist points out the effective use of sequencing, but focusing more on description than analysis.
October 4, 2010
Have you ever had a friend who always seems to have trouble following him wherever he goes? This is the delightful story of: My Friend Rabbit. Mouse, the narrator, begins the story by allowing his friend Rabbit to play with his toy airplane and soon there is a problem. The airplane gets stuck in a tree and Rabbit has a creative solution of getting the plane untangled from the tree branches. He pulls and drags several huge animals, including an elephant, rhino, hippo, moose, alligator, brown bear and a goose to the base of tree. Rabbit then proceeds to stack the animals one on top of each other to reach the airplane. The pile of animals gets so huge that the reader needs to turn the book vertically to view the two-page stack of animals. The pile of precariously stacked animals reaches the airplane, only to have the unhappy animals tumble to the ground. The airplane gets free and Mouse being a true friend convinces the other animals that Rabbit only means well. The story ends with Rabbit and Mouse flying off again only to get stuck again in another tree branch.
This humorous tale combines vibrant hand-colored detailed relief prints with a simple heartwarming text of unconditional friendship. Pre-Kindergarten through second graders will be able to find a connection to this story and will want to view and read it over and over again. Classroom teachers will want to read it to their classes for themes of friendship, easy-to-read text and expressive illustrations.
This humorous tale combines vibrant hand-colored detailed relief prints with a simple heartwarming text of unconditional friendship. Pre-Kindergarten through second graders will be able to find a connection to this story and will want to view and read it over and over again. Classroom teachers will want to read it to their classes for themes of friendship, easy-to-read text and expressive illustrations.
October 21, 2008
Synopsis
: Every child who's ever had someone slightly bigger or slightly older over to play will recognize this story about toys, trouble and friendship.
Review : Oh, it's a beautiful new toy that mouse has! Mouse's good friend Rabbit celebrates with him the joy and excitement in the new device. But, as sometimes happens, things go a bit awry and the airplane gets stuck in a very tall tree. Alas, Rabbit is there to fix the problem and brings in a wonderful selection of animals to help. The young reader will enjoy trying to guess what unique animal is next in line to assist in retrieving the stuck airplane. Rabbits heart is larger than all of these animals combined and that is what makes this such a great story to read. Yes, he made the mistake of throwing the plane too far--but here he is trying to make it all better again. What a good friend!
Critical Reviews :Publishers Weekly really gave a positive review, "This gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will leave young readers clamoring for repeat readings." Kristin de Lacoste from S.L.J. really liked the illustrations, "The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here."
Review : Oh, it's a beautiful new toy that mouse has! Mouse's good friend Rabbit celebrates with him the joy and excitement in the new device. But, as sometimes happens, things go a bit awry and the airplane gets stuck in a very tall tree. Alas, Rabbit is there to fix the problem and brings in a wonderful selection of animals to help. The young reader will enjoy trying to guess what unique animal is next in line to assist in retrieving the stuck airplane. Rabbits heart is larger than all of these animals combined and that is what makes this such a great story to read. Yes, he made the mistake of throwing the plane too far--but here he is trying to make it all better again. What a good friend!
Critical Reviews :Publishers Weekly really gave a positive review, "This gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will leave young readers clamoring for repeat readings." Kristin de Lacoste from S.L.J. really liked the illustrations, "The double-page, hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines are magnificent, and children will enjoy the comically expressive pictures of the animals before and after their attempt to extract the plane. The text is minimal; it's the illustrations that are the draw here."
August 31, 2016
Book summary: This award-winning book is about a mouse who has a friend rabbit. The mouse mentions that he likes his friend, yet wherever he goes trouble follows. They're flying a toy plane, then that plane got stuck high in the tree. Rabbit says he has an idea and gather all big and small animals to make a tower like in a circus to reach the plane. The plane was just out of reach when everyone fell and were unhappy with the rabbit. But the mouse knows the rabbit means well and they get the plane back but in the end of the book the plane gets stuck in the tree again.
Grade level: PreK-3
Appropriate classroom use: This would be another book i might put on my bookshelf in the classroom for the students to read on their free time. The kids would have fun with the pictures and the friendship between the mouse and the rabbit.
Indv. students who would benefit: Those students who have a friend who means well yet can be a trouble maker.
Small group use: Have the kids try to read this book aloud in a small group maybe assign someone to pretend to be the mouse and/or the rabbit.
Whole class use: This book would be good to read aloud. It could be read for the children's amusement and the use of pictures is nice to see.
Related books: Books by the same author-Eric Rohmann, or other books that are also Caldecott winners.
Multimedia connections available: Just different uses like Kindle, hardcover, paperback, and board book.
Grade level: PreK-3
Appropriate classroom use: This would be another book i might put on my bookshelf in the classroom for the students to read on their free time. The kids would have fun with the pictures and the friendship between the mouse and the rabbit.
Indv. students who would benefit: Those students who have a friend who means well yet can be a trouble maker.
Small group use: Have the kids try to read this book aloud in a small group maybe assign someone to pretend to be the mouse and/or the rabbit.
Whole class use: This book would be good to read aloud. It could be read for the children's amusement and the use of pictures is nice to see.
Related books: Books by the same author-Eric Rohmann, or other books that are also Caldecott winners.
Multimedia connections available: Just different uses like Kindle, hardcover, paperback, and board book.
November 27, 2017
This book is about a mouse who talks about how his friend rabbit is always getting into trouble. One day they are playing with Mouse’s plane and it gets stuck in a tall tree. Rabbit says he has an idea and begins stacking different animals on top of each other. The animals all tumble down, and are very upset but mouse talks about how even though rabbit can cause trouble, he means well and is a good friend. The illustrations in this book are very bright and colorful, with the most detail being in the drawings of the animals. The lesson of this book is that sometimes your friends can be a lot of work or do things that annoy you, but you love and accept the, amyways. Especially for really young kids, this is sometimes a lesson that is hard for them to understand, so this book is great for parents and teachers to use. A good follow up discussion about what happened in the book and what the kids think the lesson is would be the ideal use for this book.
May 14, 2008
Comments on the Story:
The story itself is also very entertaining and just generally fun. The story is something that could be told using flannel board where children could stack up all the animals and let them fall down and crash the tree into the plane. I even think that this story could just be told to children without a flannel or book because it would be fun for the children to use their imagination to see the animals getting stacked up and wonder…oh, I hope they don’t fall down!
Recommended Uses for the Book:
I think that this book could easily be used in a storytime for toddlers (2-4). I also think that this book would be great to have at home in children’s collections. Plus, I am getting this book for my own collection, because I think that this is also one of the books that serves the purpose of making anyone smile
The story itself is also very entertaining and just generally fun. The story is something that could be told using flannel board where children could stack up all the animals and let them fall down and crash the tree into the plane. I even think that this story could just be told to children without a flannel or book because it would be fun for the children to use their imagination to see the animals getting stacked up and wonder…oh, I hope they don’t fall down!
Recommended Uses for the Book:
I think that this book could easily be used in a storytime for toddlers (2-4). I also think that this book would be great to have at home in children’s collections. Plus, I am getting this book for my own collection, because I think that this is also one of the books that serves the purpose of making anyone smile
October 8, 2009
The friendship of rabbit and mouse is entwined with the trouble that comes along when rabbit has an idea. This picture book uses minimal words and leaves the illustrations to lead the reader to what is occurring. Almost considered a wordless book, we are able to follow the trouble that stirs as rabbit tries to reach a toy plane that has landed in a tree. She stacks animals one on top of the other just barely reaching the toy plane. As a reader may predict, all the animals come toppling down. The illustrations are mixed with fine lines with vibrant and bold colors. It looks as if the illustrations were drawn and filled with a a dollops of color. It is a short story that focuses on only one particular incident, but is enriched by the thoughtful illustrations that seem to move as you read.
August 10, 2017
Our girls loved this story - a rabbit who just can't stay out of trouble and the mouse who is his friend anyway. We've borrowed this one from the library a few times.
This book was selected as one of the books for the April 2017- Caldecott Medal Winners 2003-2007 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was selected as one of the books for the April 2017- Caldecott Medal Winners 2003-2007 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
July 15, 2017
3.5 out of 5
A funny and cute story with GORGEOUS illustrations:
A funny and cute story with GORGEOUS illustrations:
January 16, 2021
2003 Caldecott
Bold colors in this simple story with a mouse and a rabbit. Kids will like the other animals as they enter the story. Maybe a 3.5 I liked the anticipation that builds on how to get the toy plane out of the tree.
Part of my quest to read these simple imaginative books that promote great art.
Bold colors in this simple story with a mouse and a rabbit. Kids will like the other animals as they enter the story. Maybe a 3.5 I liked the anticipation that builds on how to get the toy plane out of the tree.
Part of my quest to read these simple imaginative books that promote great art.
February 7, 2017
This was a super cute book to read to my 2 year old. I wish there were nore qords to it but he loved the pictures and was happy to name all the animals he saw. I wish they did more books with morals to the story like when I was a kid. Just a suggestion!
May 30, 2012
Caldecott Medal (2003)
Simple but amusing tale of friendship and mishaps. Nice, but not outstanding or remarkable.
Simple but amusing tale of friendship and mishaps. Nice, but not outstanding or remarkable.
February 11, 2020
This Caldecott Award winning picture book will leave young readers with a gentle lesson in patience and loyalty, balanced on the back of a hilarious set of illustrations, will have them clamoring for repeat readings. Mouse is an understanding friend to his well-meaning, but accident prone companion Rabbit. As Mouse says on the opening page, “My friend Rabbit means well, but whatever he does… trouble follows.” This story follows Rabbit and Mouse as Rabbit tries to help Mouse fly his plane. In the beginning, Rabbit launches Mouse in his toy plane, only to land it in a tree. The tale continues with Rabbit gathering various animals to form a tower and reach the plane wedged in the tree.
Friendship is one of the joys of childhood and all of life. This engaging tale, by Eric Rohmann, features friendship at its best. Mouse is the embodiment of patience; an understanding friend who sees the best in his friend, while Rabbit is full of life and mishaps. For his part, Rabbit demonstrates caring and helpfulness to Mouse throughout this tale. This simply-styled narrative is full of meaning. The very simple plot of the story is full of humor and is easy for children to relate to. The humor is evident in the comical expressions of confusion and then anger on the faces of the animals recruited by Rabbit, and the dismayed look on Mouse's face as Rabbit "helps" him.
The boldness of the text, and the limited number of words used go well with the simple pictures with their bold black outlines. The thick, black, looping and swirling dotted lines create a sense of movement and energy as they draw the reader’s eye along the page. Double-page illustrations lead onto the next page and spark children's imaginations, causing them to try to predict what Rabbit will do next, and what animal he will drag into his scheme. This book is prime material for teaching the skill of making predictions. Interest is added when the reader has to turn the book sideways as the animals are stacked vertically across the page. This story is an excellent way to lead in to a discussion about friendship skills. Both Rabbit and Mouse are caring friends. Mouse demonstrates patience and understanding in the face of Rabbit’s unconditional and enthusiastic friendship. A cross-curricular follow-up to a read-aloud of this story would be to have children write and illustrate an original story about their best friend and what makes that friend unique.
Friendship is one of the joys of childhood and all of life. This engaging tale, by Eric Rohmann, features friendship at its best. Mouse is the embodiment of patience; an understanding friend who sees the best in his friend, while Rabbit is full of life and mishaps. For his part, Rabbit demonstrates caring and helpfulness to Mouse throughout this tale. This simply-styled narrative is full of meaning. The very simple plot of the story is full of humor and is easy for children to relate to. The humor is evident in the comical expressions of confusion and then anger on the faces of the animals recruited by Rabbit, and the dismayed look on Mouse's face as Rabbit "helps" him.
The boldness of the text, and the limited number of words used go well with the simple pictures with their bold black outlines. The thick, black, looping and swirling dotted lines create a sense of movement and energy as they draw the reader’s eye along the page. Double-page illustrations lead onto the next page and spark children's imaginations, causing them to try to predict what Rabbit will do next, and what animal he will drag into his scheme. This book is prime material for teaching the skill of making predictions. Interest is added when the reader has to turn the book sideways as the animals are stacked vertically across the page. This story is an excellent way to lead in to a discussion about friendship skills. Both Rabbit and Mouse are caring friends. Mouse demonstrates patience and understanding in the face of Rabbit’s unconditional and enthusiastic friendship. A cross-curricular follow-up to a read-aloud of this story would be to have children write and illustrate an original story about their best friend and what makes that friend unique.
December 23, 2020
My friend Kerri gives Jeremiah the best books.
Mouse and Rabbit are good friends, full of adventure. Rabbit is a good friend, with terrible ideas. So, when Mouse's plane gets stuck in a tree, he enlists the help of a lot of animals to help. Really, really heavy animals.
Rabbit is much stronger than he appears.
There are a lot of textless pages, which made telling the story even more fun, and allowed for Jeremiah to help tell the story with me. And the image of all of the animals piled on top of each other made both of us laugh.
Definitely one of those, "Okay, let's start it over" books.
Mouse and Rabbit are good friends, full of adventure. Rabbit is a good friend, with terrible ideas. So, when Mouse's plane gets stuck in a tree, he enlists the help of a lot of animals to help. Really, really heavy animals.
Rabbit is much stronger than he appears.
There are a lot of textless pages, which made telling the story even more fun, and allowed for Jeremiah to help tell the story with me. And the image of all of the animals piled on top of each other made both of us laugh.
Definitely one of those, "Okay, let's start it over" books.
February 24, 2022
A story about friendship along with unique illustrations. I wasn't the biggest fan of this book, but I truly appreciated the illustrations. I loved how each character was thickly outlined with black paint. I believe it made the animals stand out more than I believe they normally would. This story doesn't have a huge plot or lesson (besides being friends with others who are different from you). Instead, it's a simple, cute book about friendship. Which is just as necessary as any life lesson book out there.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,279 reviews