The Runaway Bunny: An Easter And Springtime Book For Kids

By Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

HBO Max animated special premieres March 25, 2021!

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, beloved children’s book author of Goodnight Moon, is now available for the first time as an ebook!

“If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.”

A little bunny keeps running away from his mother in this imaginary game of hide-and-seek. Children will be profoundly comforted by this lovingly steadfast mother who finds her child every time.

The Runaway Bunny, first published in 1942 and never out of print, has indeed become a classic. Generations of readers have fallen in love with the gentle magic of its reassuring words and loving pictures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062009203

Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown, cherished for her unique ability to convey a child’s experience and perspective of the world, transformed the landscape of children’s literature with such beloved classics as Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Other perennial favorites by Ms. Brown include My World; Christmas in the Barn; The Dead Bird; North, South, East, West; and Good Day, Good Night.

Book preview

Reviews for The Runaway Bunny

[villemezbrown · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I never thought much of this book the first time I read it, but with this re-read I really like the little battle of wits between the mother rabbit and her son.And this time I was more struck by things that escaped me before, like the sails on the bunny boat being elongated ears and the connections to Goodnight Moon. I see now that the image of the mother bunny fishing for her runaway bunny recurs as paintings in the other two books in addition to the moon motif. In the Goodnight Moon Extended Universe, it seems that whole book is a joyful bedtime story told by the mother rabbit of this book to her bunny in their den under a tree, and the companion book My World is a bleak and bitter tale told later as her relationship with the bunny's father crumbles. Wild.Side note: This is in my old book database as book #1522 with "indifferent" ratings.

[chris.wolak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Is Mother Bunny controlling or being playful with her Little Bunny? I wasn't sure how to read this one and I think it could go either way.

Mother Bunny's last line made me laugh. I thought about the book all day and read it again this evening. The last line made me laugh again. Is this a common adult reaction?

I imagined all the things Mother Bunny could be feeling at the end. Relieved, exhausted, happy, nurturing. Like Goodnight Moon, I enjoyed the illustrations very much. Charming and colorful. I especially enjoy the one where Mother Bunny is fishing with a carrot on the line.

[raizel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like the illustrations; I'm more troubled than I probably should be by the story: I'd like the little bunny to not feel so smothered by his mother. Yes, I understand that her actions are meant to be reassuring, and her son doesn't seem bothered by them. Anyway, some of the pictures harken back to Goodnight Moon and I like the idea of literary references for toddlers.

[ashewert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book tells the story of a baby bunny who is looking to run away form his mother, but the mother tells him that she will follow and help him wherever she goes. While a very cute story, my favorite part of the book was it's illustrations. I enjoyed how the pages containing words were in black and white, but the pages in between were a beautiful looking watercolor that tied into the words on the previous page.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mom's a stalker?! I don't understand the reviews that say that. My three sons and I absolutely loved this. It's about the baby asking for reassurance that mom will do everything in her power to be available to her child. And that's sweet, not stalking.

[allisonpollack-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary: The baby rabbit wants to run away but his mother says that "if you run, I will run after you". It is really just a story about how much love a mom has for her children.Personal connection: I never understood why the baby bunny wanted to run away.Class use: Have students write poems to their moms, maybe even for Mother's Day.

[lmr288 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The runaway bunny is a story about a mother's love for her child. It starts off with a little bunny who tells his mother he is running away. His mother tells him that if he runs away, she will come after him. He goes on to say all the things he could become such as a fish swimming through a stream and bird flying away, but his mother explains that she will always find a way to go after him. In the end, the little bunny decides he will just stay where he is and be his mother's little bunny. I personally enjoyed this book because of the message behind it. A mother's love for her child or children is something that cannot really be explained in words. However, this book does a good job of showing it. The determination of the mother to always figure out a way to take care of her little bunny captures that love.The illustrations throughout the book also do a good job of telling the story and help children visualize the scenarios the little bunny describes.

[alf275 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Plot Summary:There was this little bunny who wanted to run away. He told his mom different scenarios of him running away. He would tell her he’d become different things, such as a fish or a rock, and every time she would tell him she would change into something, like a fisherman or a mountain hiker, to be able to bring him home. The mother bunny finally convinced him not to run away because she loved him too much to not go after him.Character Analysis:Mother: Loving and stubbornBaby Bunny: ImaginativePersonal Evalutation:This was a very cute picture book. It is great for really young ages because it has a lot of art work and it doesn’t take too long to read if your child loses interest easily.

[ktran4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I liked that the author wrote the dialogue with black and white illustrations. Then, the next page are illustrations in color that are related to the text before. For example, “‘If you become a bird and fly away from,’ said his mother, ‘I will be a tree that you come home to.” The next page displays an illustration of the baby bunny as a bird and the mother bunny as a tree. The colorful illustrations fill the entire pages and have no text. I think this allows the reader’s imagination to expand and also allows the reader to focus on that specific event or main idea in the story. I liked how the readers transform the bunny into different objects. I also liked how each illustration is in a different setting. The big idea of the story is that your parents will always love and support you even if you leave them.

[sarahetuemmler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite stories of all time. Great illustrations and story plot. This book is a fun, rhythmic, picture book that describes the imagination of a bunny who just wants to run away and be free. The bunnies imagination wants to take it anywhere. It's a simple plot and great for children to understand and follow.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise BrownAudio version so I am not seeing the colorful pictures.A little bunny wants to run away and he explains how to his mother he will keep away from her.She explains to him what she will become and how she will find him and she will get him back.Love the part where she will give him a hug.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[spinea1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I could teach cause and effect with this book. For example if the baby bunny is a bird the mother bunny will be a tree for the bunny to come home to.If the baby bunny becomes a boy the mother bunny will become the mother. This would be a great book to have students make and confirm predictions.

[hollyegirard · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

With this story I would try and model my students how to use the if and then in a story. This has very good consistency with the two words throughout the story that it will model how to use them. My students will enjoy the story because its about a mother and a bunny and the bunny is running away so they might be able to relate.

[thnguyen-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is the story of a young rabbit who runs away from home. His mother tells him that no matter who he becomes or where he goes she will find him. It shows us that a mother's love will never go away even if you do not live at home.

[sstelz2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, “El Conejito Andarin” is a great book with a very endearing story for young readers. This book is excellent for Spanish readers because it uses Spanish text and repetitive language. This book is the Spanish version of the book, “The Runaway Bunny.” The plot is organized and follows a repetitive pattern. The young bunny tells his mother of his hypothetical adventures to get away from her, and subsequently, the mother tells of all she would do to see her son. For example, the son says, “Me convertire en roca de una montana, alla en lo alto, lejoes, muy lejos de ti” (English: I will become a rock in the mountain, a mountain very high, much higher than you). Then the mom says, “Me hare alpinista y trepare hasta llegar junto a ti” (English: I will become a climber and climb until I am next to you). The characters are well-developed in the sense that they make the reader think of the bunny and rabbit as a real mother and baby. The scenario of the bunny and his mom represent the real relationship of a mother and child. The illustrations display attention-grabbing pictures of the adventure. The book’s illustrations are interesting because they incorporate different mediums of artwork. Some illustrations are very large and comprised of stunning colors that are created with paint. Other illustrations are made out of black and white sketches that are made with charcoal pencils. The big idea is to show children that they will eventually grow up and have adventures away from home, but their families will always be waiting for them to come home.

[kweber8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: The little bunny decided that he wanted to run away from his home mother, so the story started with him telling his mother that he wanted to run away. Throughout the story the little bunny told his mother that he would turn into a certain object, plant, etc. to hide from her, but his mother continuously said that she would change too so that she could find him. At the end of the story the little bunny tricked himself into realizing that he wanted to stay a little bunny and stay with his mother. Review: Margaret Wise Brown does a superb job writing the children's book, The Runaway Bunny. The story she wrote uses excellent language for a young, new, independent reader to be able to follow along with, as well as incorporates imagination and reassurance into the story. The sentence, "If you become a...I will become a..." that Brown uses throughout the story allows the reader to read with ease and strengthen his/her fluency. By having a repetitive sentence Brown is setting the young reader up for full independent reading and may also give the reader confidence in him/herself. Brown also creates a magical idea of imagination, as well as a comforting message of reassurance in her book. The little bunny is constantly creating himself into new animals and objects, such as a trout, a rock, and a crocus in a garden to find new ways to get away from his mother. The use of imagination is excellent for a young reader to experience. The end of the book also allows the reader to feel a sense of reassurance when the little bunny states, "I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny" because his mother stated that she would follow him wherever he went to make sure that he was safe and sound (p. 30).

[emtimmins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like the picture book size book of this book! I like to show the children how the pages will alternate between b & w illustrations and colored illustrations. Before I turn the page to the colored one I say, "and it looked like this...". This heartwarming book shows how much mother cares for baby bunny--she will follow him anywhere and dress up as anything!! Adorable!

[esiera1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked The Runaway Bunny, but I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I had remembered this book as a young child, but needed to refresh my memory. After reading so many other children’s books with more color and action, this one seemed a bit boring. But upon further research, I found this book is intended for younger readers K-2, not 4th or 5th graders, so I decided to look at it from another angle. Overall, I loved the characters, the plot, and the point of view. The mother and little bunny were definitely believable. The little bunny came up with so many creative ideas to run away from his mother, but in the end he realized he should just stay at home beside his mother. The mother just shows how much love a parents has for their child. Children could easily relate this story to their own lives, thinking about how much their parents love them. Being written in narrative voice and having the little bunny tell the story, makes it feel more realistic. The reader has a sense that they are there with the bunnies and part of the story. For example, “’If you become a little boy and run into a house’, said the mother bunny, ‘I will become your mother and catch you in my arms and hug you.’” This helps the reader imagine it happening before turning the page to the colored illustration of it actually happening. The overall message of this classic, was parents and the love between a child and their mother.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A picture book by the classic author, Margaret Wise Brown, being not so popular as her Good Night Moon, but full of the same warm charm. In this story, a baby bunny asks his mom what she would do if he ran away from her. Her answer - that she would chase after and find him - is not satisfactory, so he begins elaborating on his getaways, going further, hiding better, and even transforming himself into other objects. In each case, the clever mother devises a strategy that will allow her to reunite with her precious child. At last, satisfied that his mother is there to stay, the little bunny realizes that he only has one place to go for now ... home. The delicately detailed illustrations are as integral to the book as the text. After each question and answer, the next two-page spread is a large picture that brings to vivid life their hypothetical situation. The colors are soft, with soothing blues and greens, and the white bunnies are easy to find. The beautiful illustrations complement this book in theme and subject.I miss the lyricism of Good Night Moon, but the writing is still tight. The author allows the reader to infer and interpret. For instance, why does the bunny want to run away? We can assume that he is upset with his mother, as children so often are, but also the idea of a child's independence is woven throughout. At this age, children are still tied to their parents, but in the future, they will be moving further away, and this bittersweet refrain is a subtle subtext in the story. More powerful is the idea of a mother's protection, and her insistent love that never stops. Also, that the mother will always be there for the child, no matter what paths he may take. As the game continues, the reader gets the sense that the bunny is not angry anymore, and is enjoying this give-and-take exchange. Clearly, by the end of their dialogue, the bunny is happy and relieved that his mother will never leave him, or let him leave her. The story itself is quite simple, though, allowing young readers to easily enjoy it, while these deeper meanings seep through the words and the pictures. This is a wonderful picture book to read aloud to your children, one that conveys imagination and reassurance.

[squeakychu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sweet, but this book doesn't hold a candle to Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good book to read on Mother's Day! Love the illustrations!

[kellylpickett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorites from childhood. It is the story of a young rabbit who decides he wants to run away from home and how his mother vows to always find him no matter where he goes or what he becomes. If he was to become a fish, she would be the fisherman. If he was to become a boat and sail away, she would become the wind that steers him back home. It is a lovely book that highlights the never ending and far reaching aspect of a mother’s love. It also tells that no matter where you may run to you will always be welcomed back home.

[jarvenpa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book, read it to all my children (endlessly) and still like it...though there is a kind of mama will stalk you ! element to it as I look at it from my wry, aged perspective.

[bhavikagandhi830 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Runaway Bunny is a great book, because it mentions a baby bunny whom keeps running away from his mother into an imaginative world of hide and seek. However, the mommy bunny always finds her baby. The author’s purpose in writing the book is to help bring peace and comfort to the readers. This book is definitely for kindergarten, and beginning of first grade.

[gjchauvin504 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is great to teach kids never to run away. This book has great pictures that go along with the words. I will defaiintly read this book to my students to make sure that they never run away and that they know that there mom and dads love them.

[mahallett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

1001 children's books.very cute. the mummy a much newer book has a very similar story

[xuesheng_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is another enjoyable children's book. My kids are a little too old for it now, and I wish we had had it when they were younger. I think it would have been an oft requested read.The story is about a little bunny who wants to run away, but his mom tells him, "If you run away, I will run after you. For you are my little bunny." So, the little bunny decides that if his mom is running after him, he will change either into a fish or a rock or crocus, among other things. Mom reassures him that if he does, she will become a fisherman, a mountain climber or a gardener and will find her little bunny. In the end, the little bunny decides that since his mom will find him anyway, it is best to stay home and be her little bunny.

[calamia_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Runaway Bunny is a sweet book for a child and their parent. The young bunny wants to run away but the mother tells him what she will do to stay close to him always. The little bunny decides the best place for him is home with his mother.

[derbygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

( Easy picture book, board book)In a sweet tale that encompasses the broad spectrum of loyalty and steadfastness of a mother's love for her child, our little runaway bunny discovers just how far his mom will go to be at one with him. Upon discovering there is no desired escape from his mother's sweet and faithful embrace, he decides there is no other place he'd rather be anyway. Margaret Wise Brown is again able to look into a child's heart and see their need for secure pillars of love with her adventurous descriptions of bunny's plans to runaway and how his mom will still be there for him no matter what.

[benjaminhahn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If my kid ever runs away this much, I'm going to be doing a bit of self critiquing to figure out what the hell I'm doing wrong.