Cuddle Bunny

Series: Tiny Tales
Written by Charles Ghigna, aka “Father Goose”
Illustrated by Jacqueline East
Picture Window Books     8/01/2015
9780-1-4795-6532-0
64 pages     Ages 4—7

“What kind of name is Cuddle? Well, it’s the perfect name for a kind, caring, and adorable little bunny! Cuddle Bunny enjoys all of life’s adventures. From learning to love herself to reading to her friends, Cuddle will melt your heart in this collection of sweet stories.” [back cover]

Review
Cuddle Bunny will turn sour hearts into nice sweet huggable hearts. Young children will love Cuddle Bunny and her four friends—all equally cuddly—and the four Cuddle Bunny short stories. Cuddle learns to love her physical self; make up stories and share them with friends; finds a message in a bottle; and becomes a pirate, “Arrr!”

Every Bunny’s Different
Cuddle’s teeth are too long and her ears too big. In a silent funk, Cuddle goes downstairs to breakfast. Mom immediately notices Cuddle’s awkward mood, and after some coaxing, Cuddle tells her parents about her problematic teeth and ears. Using examples from the family, Mom and Dad help Cuddles understand how every bunny is different and their features perfect. But wait, Dad says there is an exception. Sometimes Bunnies do look similar (and in the case of some twins, identical). This surprises both Cuddles and Mom, both of whom are happy Dad showed them which bunnies do indeed look alike.

Cuddle Bunny Tells a Story
Each evening Cuddles reads a story to her friends. Pink Pony wants to hear a princess story. Sock Monkey would like the story to be in a jungle. And Anna Panda wants the jungle to have loads of bamboo. They all get their wish in Cuddle’s story about a princess who gets lost in the bamboo jungle.

A Message in a Bottle
The Bunny family takes a summer trip to the beach. Cuddle plays tag with the water and notices a green bottle floating in the waves. The bottle contains a message written in Spanish, making it impossible for Cuddle to read. Dad reads the note.

“Hello! My name is Maria. I live in Mexico. May the sea carry my letter to you.”

Cuddle decides to write a message underneath Maria’s message. She then threw the green bottle into a big wave so the sea can carry it to someone else. That night, the green bottle from the sea entered Cuddle’s dreams.

The Pirate Ship
Cuddles wakes up feeling like a pirate. She grabs her Captain’s hat and sets sail for breakfast. Later, Cuddle goes outside looking for treasure and finds a box big enough to transform into a great-looking pirate ship. Using her creativity, Cuddle turns the box into a pirate ship complete with portholes. Cuddle eats lunch aboard the ship with mom. First Mate Dad arrives with the perfect gift for a captain. That night, Captain Cuddle and First Mate Dad sleep on board with the special captain’s gift.

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Each Cuddle Bunny story fits the bill of “short-and-sweet,” helping squiggly four-year-olds remain attentive and focused. Like all good stories, Cuddle’s have an unexpected , interesting twist; keep readers wanting more; and contain a satisfying finish. Even better, Cuddle’s stories allow readers—or listeners, as in this case—picture themselves in the story, perhaps as their favorite character, or even as Cuddle.

Cuddle Bunny stories will put smiles on the faces of both parent and child. Portrayed as cute and adorable friends—toys that spring to life thanks to Cuddle’s imagination—the story time friends will often be similar to young children’s own plush friends. With a little jump-start suggestion, children may create a story or two, writing and reading them to their own group of story time friends.

I love Cuddle’s spunkiness, her confidence, and her positive attitude. She is huggable-cute. All three Bunny family members are white with pink ears, except for Dad, whose ears are brown and pink. I like Dad’s ears being different. This little detail brings realism to the illustrations.

The four stories each comprise one chapter.  I can envision children, following Cuddle’s example, recreating these Cuddle Bunny stories in their own world. Cuddle Bunny will certainly entertain young children. Bedtime can mean one chapter a night, or the entire book. The author includes a Glossary (words such as bamboo, grub, and portholes); six Discussion Questions (tell your friends a story; what do you pretend to be), and, most interesting, six Writing Prompts (write a pirate sea adventure; list what makes you special).

CUDDLE BUNNY (TINY TALES). Text copyright © 2015 by Charles Ghigna. Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Jacqueline East. Reproduce by permission of the publisher, Picture Window Books, North Mankato, MN.

Purchase Cuddle Bunny at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books— Picture Window Books.

Learn more about Cuddle Bunny HERE.

Meet the author, Charles Ghigna, at his website:  http://www.charlesghigna.com/
Blog       Facebook       Twitter      @FatherGooze
Meet the illustrator, Jacqueline East, at her website:  http://www.jacquelineeast.com/
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Find more books at the Picture Window Books website:  http://www.capstonepub.com/
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.          .  Picture Window Books is a Capstone imprint.

2015 Tiny Tales by Charles Ghigna & Jacqueline East

 

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: Cuddle Bunny by Charles Ghigna & Jacqueline East, and received from Picture Window Books (a Capstone imprint), is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

CUDDLE BUNNY (TINY TALES) by Charles Ghigna. Illustrations © 2015 by Jacqueline East. Used by permission of Picture Window Books/Capstone.