Hello, friends! Our book today is Bunn Bunns And The Helping Hands by Attila Krutilla, a story about a wayward bunny.

Bunn Bunns is an adventurous young bunny who always seems to get into mischief. As he leaves his house one morning and heads down the path, his mother warns him: “Don’t get lost!”. Bunn Bunns is confident, however – he won’t get lost. Choosing to wander from the path, various other animals give him the same warning, but Bunn Bunns is unconcerned. Finally finding his way back to the path, he realizes that he is at an unfamiliar crossroads; he is, in fact, lost. Confused and frightened, he falls asleep under a tree, where the Girl with the Helping Hands, picks him up and takes him home. She tucks him into bed and leaves him with a snack and a helpful note, promising to designate the path home with bunny prints. When Bunn Bunns awakes the next morning, he is eager to return home – can he follow the girl’s instructions to find his way?

This was a bit of a mixed bag, mainly where the story is concerned. While the language reads and flows well enough (though the name “Bunn Bunns” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue), the plot lacks direction and urgency. Bunn Bunns disregards multiple warnings, wanders off, yet displays no agency in finding his way home. He is rescued by another character with whom he doesn’t interact directly, then follows a single bunny print and… is home. The end. He doesn’t even seem to have learned a lesson from this ordeal – he considers the experience an adventure and is excited to go “adventuring” again tomorrow. It sends a strange message to young readers: wandering away from parents and allowing strangers to bring you into their homes are decidedly inadvisable actions. Beyond that, the art is a bit juvenile and may not appeal to older readers, but younger readers will likely enjoy it – JJ gleefully pointed out bunnies, owls, and frogs to me – and the length is fine. This is a well-intentioned but uneven effort – worth a read perhaps, but definitely with a follow-up discussion on safety. Baby Bookworm approved.

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the author in exchange for an honest review.)