Big Bunny

by Rowboat Watkins

Once upon a time there was a book about . . .
MONSTERS!
No.
SPACE ALIENS?
Nope . . . a BUNNY!
A GIANT SCARY TRUCK-EATING BUNNY?!?
Um . . . well, maybe it was a tiny bit big.

From the curious mind of Rowboat Watkins comes a ginormously imaginative story that is as funny as it is philosophical. How big is Big Bunny? And how will this story end? Delightfully meta and humorously subversive, Big Bunny will take its place as the next go-to story about stories.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Rabbits, Storytime, Food

32 pages, Hardcover

Published March 20, 2018

About the author

Rowboat Watkins is mostly a dad who likes to tell stories and draw. Nobody knows why his wife started calling him Rowboat...but she does. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I requested Big Bunny as soon as I stumbled across the title in my library catalogue without even setting eyes on it. Then I waited and waited for it to arrive. And I guess I was hoping and kind of expecting a BIG book. I mean it’s called Big Bunny. Haha…Silly of me I know. But I wanted BIG pages with BIG bunny ears and BIG fluffiness. Sooo….I was a tiny bit sad to see a regular size or maybe even smaller than average size book arrive. *shrugs* I just feel like someone missed a BIG opportunity on the packaging and presentation of this one. Anywho….Let’s hop on to other things.

Our tale is about a parent slowly creating and telling a bed time story about bunnies and carrots and trucks getting eaten. Our storyteller is trying to tell a story, but the youngin’ keeps interrupting with questions and commentary. It’s a cute story style that’s sure to get a laugh out of readers. For me, the best part was the last page and line. You have to see who is telling the story! And who pops in for a visit. :D

I recommend reading this a few times to yourself before trying it in front of an audience. The style is fun as long as you get the tone and timing right. I jumped in cold and realized a couple of pages in what was going on and who was speaking and interrupting. Have fun!

Recommended. Pick it up at your local Library. I’ll be checking out more from Rowboat Watkins for sure.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a big bunny, being told as a bedtime selection by an off-page parent, is continually interrupted and augmented by the child-listener (also off-page) in this newest picture-book from author/illustrator Rowboat Watkins. The listener in question wants thrills and excitement, and eventually takes over the storytelling process altogether, when the reader gets frustrated with their interjections. It is only at the end that the parent and child - a pair of cabbages! - is revealed, along with a real bunny listening at the window...

After reading and enjoying Watkins' previous two forays into the world of picture-books ( Rude Cakes and Pete With No Pants ), I had great expectations for Big Bunny, especially after a colleague gave it high praise. I ended up enjoying it, but not quite as much as I had expected to. The artwork is amusing, and I liked the story idea, but somehow the concluding episode, which some found hilarious, didn't quite strike my funny bone. Tastes vary, and humor is highly idiosyncratic of course, so I would imagine that others will react differently, especially if they are fans of Watkins' work. It is to such readers that I would recommend this one.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this falls into the following category: "for the easily amused". I found the constant interruptions and absurdity of the plot annoying, and even the twist at the end didn't really save it for me. Maybe kids would enjoy this one; I don't know. But as an adult reader, I thought it was a bit tiresome.

The illustrations are kind of cute, but nothing special. I probably wouldn't recommend this one.

[Melissa Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so funny! ~6 year old

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an adorable read. You are listening to a bedtime story when another listener takes over the telling. The ending is the best when you find out who is listening and who is talking.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever ending!

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

How this story goes depends on who’s telling it. Funny.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting ending; fun twist.

[Gary Vassallo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny little book that I liked for my youngest child but not quite loved. While there was a twist at the end it did not quite have the impact I was hoping for.

[Aleska Sever · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book. My daughter and me add new English word to our vocabulary such as Ginormously and Monstrously... She was fascinated with the images.The story about the big bunny it took us by surprise at the end. She wants read it again this night...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written as though it's storytime between a parent and a child interrupted by questions from the child, this picture book would be fun to share aloud. The child keeps pushing for the scary part of the story, but the parent resists, and finally suggests that the listener finish the story. The child does so, and as it turns out, the ending pages show that the inspiration for all this imaginative tale-telling is right in front of them--on the bedspread, the floor, and the bookshelves, even a giraffe on a nearby footstool. Are those lettuces in the bed? I think so. Strangely cool but amusing. Readers will want to remove the book jacket featuring Big Bunny's huge mouth to see the carrots that fill the hard cover of the book. Youngsters will probably love this book because its contents describe exactly how their own imaginations work.

[Kat Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

BIG BUNNY is two parts fun, one part extremely silly. It reads just like a storytime-at-bedtime conversation between a parent/child would sound, especially if the parent was making up the story as they went (with a sprinkling of interjections from the peanut gallery). It makes for a fun read-aloud that doesn't take itself too seriously.

[molliekay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not understand the ending. What the what is happening there?

[Michelle Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be such fun to read aloud with another person so each one could take a part.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't quite work for me. Charming concept but confusing execution.

[The Campbell Family · Rating 2 out of 5]

I, the adult, did not understand this book.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more you share great stories with young readers, the more excited they become about building their own stories. A parent sharing a story about a big bunny gets plenty of editorial assistance from the youngster in this fun picture book, and there's an odd twist at the end of the story. I thought the story help from the youngster was fun, and this could be a good way to talk about building a story from what is already on the page to create one's own tale to suit one's preferences - more scary, more exciting, funnier, etc.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit that I read this book because it it perfect for #BookFaceFriday and I happened to be adding books to a small children’s literature library that I run on campus yesterday and I just couldn’t resist. I love how we enter the in progress bedtime story as readers. There re some fun twists and the wonderful description is right on: it is charmingly meta. This would be an amazing book to already inference!

[Stephanie Croaning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would make a great read-aloud with young children. There is a fun back-and-forth conversation between the person who starts the story about a "big bunny" and a listener who suggests story modifications, such as making him a "ginormously SCARY bunny."

The end of the story reveals the two characters and you understand the story influences. It is fun to see if young listeners can make predictions in a story that plots a unique course.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/16/2019 ~ I had a bit of difficulty keeping the voices separate, though the 2nd to last spread made the motivations much clearer. Children will love looking through the child's bedroom and finding the objects that inspired different plot elements in the bedtime story. In general though, the story just felt silly, with no real plot or resolution. (P.S. I dare you to look at the first spread and NOT read Big Butt.)

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A goofy story imagined as a conversation between parents and child. there's a super-goofy, wacky twist at the end that will have kids giggling. The illustrations were the best part of the book, in my opinion.

P.S. Is the author's name really "Rowboat?" To be honest, considering some of the names I've heard for children among our library patrons, I can believe it.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a silent-read, this works well. You know who everyone is and what they're aiming for. As a read-aloud ... you have to commit to distinct voices immediately. And the pacing isn't easy. Maybe a good book for a duet?

I though the denouement was funny; my preschool-aged kids just blinked at me because it didn't compute. More re-reads might help.

[Carol V · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's time for a bedtime story. Only this one is growing bigger by the minute...it's a whopper of a tale which involves a giant bunny that is very hungry. The caregiver and listener have a dialogue about the story and the events that grow more outlandish by the flip of the page. Until, something very funny is revealed about the characters. Is this a scary story? Could be!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A parent is reading a bedtime story to his child. The child wants a scary story but the story about a big bunny is not scary. The child takes over and completely changes the bunny to eat buildings, trucks, etc.
The ending is funny as we discover the parent and child are heads of lettuce with a bunny sneaking in the window - scary story.

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

The narrator is telling a story about a Big Bunny, but is being constantly interrupted by someone else who wants to make the story scary.

If you are looking for a silly book with two narrators trying to dominate the story, read Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra. This one got to be a bit much and the twist at the end wasn't really worth it.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fantasy book has a different spin on each page. Just when you think you know what is going to happen, the narrator tells you no and gives you a different outcome. Silly story, not exactly my style. The ending is open ended which could be great as a story prompt for students to write or tell their own ending.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's bedtime and a parent is telling a story about a big bunny. The child keeps interrupting to redirect the story to something a bit scarier -- a giant bunny who not only eats truckloads of carrots, but the trucks as well. This is a nontraditional bedtime story geared for readers who enjoy clever humor with a hint of the macabre.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't know who's telling the story (it's an interaction between storyteller and listener), but when you DO find out, make sure you don't have tea in your mouth because you might snort it out your nose.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. I really love bunnies, this bunny was so HUGE!!! The story was hilarious. Then the ending cracked me up. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a big laugh. This is great for a storytime or any bedtime story or anytime.

[Ris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute depiction of the power and flow of storytelling between parents and children.

NOTE: If you read aloud to your children, please, please, please, use two different voices. It's just too precious forgo.