Bunny Loves to Read

Peter Bently (text) & Deborah Melmon (illustrations)
(Parragon)

Buster Bunny loves to read. He loves to read about pirates and princes, trains and dinosaurs. His friends just cannot understand why he loves books so much; they all think books are boring and they would much rather play outside. But when rain starts to fall, Buster’s friends are stuck inside and despite their initial reticence, Buster, who knows his friends well, manages to find a book to match each friend’s interest, with magical consequences.

Bunny Loves to Read has got a really lovely message at its heart, which mirrors this famous quote by Paul Jennings perfectly :

There’s no such thing as a reluctant reader.

There are only readers for whom the right book has not yet been found.

And Buster Bunny does just that – he brings a big pile of books, and looks through them until he finds something that will spark his friends’ interest. What is even more lovely is that we they finally go out to play (but not until they have finished their books), the stories they have read inspire their games. Buster Bunny is simply a reading champion, and it is very heartwarming.
Buster looks quite happy with himself at the end of the tale, and so he should. There is something magical about finding the right book for the right child. I think he should consider a career in librarianship, to be honest!The artwork is very child-friendly and there is a nice use of photographs as well as drawings. It is bright and enticing.

Bunny Loves to Read offers a great starting point for discussion with young children about whether they like books and why they might not, as well as encouraging them to voice what kind of book they might enjoy.
It is also a lovely tale about loving books and sharing that love with others.