|
This post is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Jeff Verney. All opinions are my own.
Book Information
Bunnies to the Rescue!
Written by Jeff Verney Illustrated by Melissa Bailey Ages: 4-6 | 36 Pages Publisher: PHT Publishing (2025) | ISBN: 979-8-218-52892-8 Publisher’s Book Summary: The Nantucket Bunnies think that a toy bunny has been captured by a boy and his family. It seems that the bunny is in constant danger as the family travels across Nantucket. But a surprise awaits the Nantucket bunnies when one of them finally gets to talk to the bunny! Author Interview
Where did you get the inspiration for Bunnies to the Rescue?
Over the years my family and I have vacationed on Nantucket, and one summer I realized that no matter where we stayed on the island, there were always bunnies in the yard. And as I started to pay attention to the bunnies, the light finally went on that there were bunnies all over the island. I started thinking about all of the books that I had read about Nantucket, and none of them really mentioned the bunnies! After noodling on this, a few years ago I thought “I should write a children’s picture book about the bunnies!” What was your writing process like for this book? I spent a couple of years thinking about possible story lines; I knew I wanted the book to have action and excitement while at the same time having a couple of high-level positive themes. I finally settled on one of the ideas that involved three bunnies trying to save a stuffed bunny whose family was taking it to different locations on the island. It was and absolute joy to then write the story while on vacation in Nantucket, while sitting at a picnic table in the back yard and watching bunnies hop back and forth across the yard! What is your favorite part about writing books for kids? My entire life I have tried to sustain that never-ending sense of wonder that children hopefully experience as they learn about the world at a young age. Writing stories for children lets me try my best to tap into that sense of wonder, making magic things happen, and creating a sense of anything is possible. And there is nothing that is better than reading these stories to children who are enthralled in the moment, mesmerized and deeply engaged in the story! What are you working on now? And that’s the perfect next question to the above answer as inevitably children ask, “Read me another story!” So, I am working on a draft of the next Nantucket Bunnies book, which currently is titled Bunnies to the Rescue … Again! It will also take place on Nantucket and involves many animals and sea creatures, including a whale! When bunnies meet a whale, anything can happen! What is your favorite book? A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh! My love of books and reading definitely grew out of this book and The House at Pooh Corner, books which my Dad probably read to me hundreds of times when I sat on his lap and listened to the adventures in the books between my ages of 3 and 6 or so. I just loved hearing the stories over and over again, totally entranced by the adventures of Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Owl, Roo, Kanga, and Christopher Robin. And I was quite enchanted by the illustrations by E. H. Shepard. I really think Winnie-the-Pooh instilled in me traits such as helpfulness, thoughtfulness, common sense, humbleness, friendship, kind-heartedness, adventure, wonder, innocence, and determination which I have carried with me my entire life. Gratitude Abounds! 
Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Bunnies to the Rescue!, a plush blue bunny, and a $25 Amazon gift card.
Comments are closed.
|
RSS Feed