''Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale'' (from Dutch knuffel, pronounced ''k-nuffle'') is a classic children's picture book written and illustrated by

Mo Willems Mo Willems (born February 11, 1968) is an American writer, animator, voice actor, and children's book author. His work includes creating the animated television series '' Sheep in the Big City'' for Cartoon Network, working on '' Sesame Stre ...

. Released by Hyperion Books in 2004, ''Knuffle Bunny'' received the 2005

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

.American Library Association
Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938–Present.
/ref> The story spawned an animated short film and a musical play, as well as two sequel books. The sequels has sold more than 750,000 copies. The series' protagonist, Trixie, is named after Willems's real-life child.

Plot

Trixie steps lively as she and her father walk down the block, through the park, past the school, and into the

laundromat A self-service laundry, coin laundry, or coin wash, is a facility where clothes and some household textiles are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, ...

. For the

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 1 to 3 years old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, as children at thi ...

, loading and putting money into the machine evokes wide-eyed pleasure. But on the return home, she realizes that her stuffed rabbit, Knuffle Bunny, has been left behind. Because she cannot talk yet, Trixie cannot explain to her father why she is upset. Despite his plea of, "Now, please don't get fussy," she gives it her all, bawling and going "boneless." They both arrive home unhappy, but Trixie's mother immediately realizes that Knuffle Bunny is missing. The three run back to the laundromat, and after several tries, Trixie's father finds the toy among the wet laundry, and claims hero status. In the end, Trixie exuberantly exclaims, "Knuffle Bunny!!!" — her first words.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' wrote, "The natural audience for this offering is a little older than its main character: they will easily identify with Trixie’s grief and at the same time feel superior to her hapless parent—and rejoice wholeheartedly at the happy reunion." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' asserted that Willems "creates an entertaining story for parents and children alike." and "once again demonstrates his keen insight with a story both witty and wise."

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

described it as "a charming book for all ages," and ''Inis'' magazine of Children's Books Ireland wrote, "Mo Willems’s book has a unique style that draws you in."

In other media

The story's audio version, narrated by Mo, Cheryl, and Trixie Willems, received the ''2007

Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

for Children's Titles for Ages up to 8''. It also spawned an animated short, which won the

Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video was named in honor of nineteenth-century American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and phi ...

in 2007. The book was also adapted into a musical, ''Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical,'' by Willems, Michael Silversher, and Deborah Wicks La Puma. It toured with the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

to cities all across the United States. A Knuffle Bunny

stuffed toy A stuffed toy is a toy with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, lovies and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys ...

was released by the Yottoy Productions. In 2019, the

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...

branch of the

Brooklyn Public Library The Brooklyn Public Library is the public library system of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is the sixteenth largest public library system in the United States by holding and the seventh by number of visitors. Like the two Brooklyn Publ ...

unveiled a statue of Knuffle Bunny. Park Slope was chosen because it is the setting of the books and was the home of the author at the time of their writing. The story is read on an episode of the PBS children's show ''

Between the Lions ''Between the Lions'' is an American animated/live-action/puppet educational children's television series designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, and Mississipp ...

''.

Sequels

In August 2007, a sequel, '' Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity'' was published. The sequel picks up with the original book's main character, Trixie, three years later. In September 2010, '' Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion'' was released, completing the trilogy.Lodge, Sally
"Mo Willems, on 'Knuffle Bunny Free',"
''Publishers Weekly'' (Sep 09, 2010). The final installment features an epilogue in which Willems sends a poignant message to his real daughter, Trixie, wishing her well in her life as an adult.

References

{{Portal, Children's literature 2004 children's books American picture books Children's fiction books Caldecott Honor–winning works Children's books about rabbits and hares Children's books adapted into films Short stories about toys Books by Mo Willems