Bunbun, the Middle One

by Sharon Pierce McCullough

Overview

Meet Bunbun. He's an endearing small rabbit who is always in the middle of everything. He has an older brother, Benny, and a younger sister, Bibi, making him the middle bunny of the family. "He's always the happiest ... and usually the hungriest." With over 50,000 Bunbun books in print, Bunbun has become a favorite character of the toddler set. Geared to children 3-5 but also an excellent book for beginning readers.

Bunbun, Benny and Bibi come alive with these vibrant and colorful illustrations, using prismacolor pencils, a trademark of Sharon Pierce McCullough.

Winner of a 2001 Parents Choice Award.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780983191513
Publisher:	ZiggityZoom
Publication date:	03/20/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

Editorial Reviews

Even though he is centrally located between big brother Benny and little sister Bibi, Bunbun is a nonconformist rabbit in this paper-over-board book. "Bunbun sings the loudest." He raises his arms and opens his mouth wide. "Bunbun gets the dirtiest." He tops a sand castle with a green flag, heedless of the splotches on his red outfit. Of the siblings, only Bunbun has a sidekick, a yellow-winged blackbird that always looks in his direction. McCullough's three rabbit characters resemble sock puppets, with their slender ears, tall bodies and elongated limbs. Their head-to-toe jumpsuits appear to have been shaded with waxy colored pencil, and they stand against opaque backgrounds in Easter-egg hues of purple and gold. Simple statements complement the minimalist drawings, and a steady refrain ("Bunbun is the middle one") grounds the pared-down description for beginning readers. McCullough briefly plays on the word "middle," writing that "Bunbun is the muddled one" who sometimes "wears his coat inside out" by accident. In these pages, Bunbun frowns and appears uncharacteristically gloomy. This departure doesn't fit the established narrative pattern or the generally cheerful tone of the pictures, but otherwise this book focuses proudly on an ofttimes contradictory middle child. Ages 6 mos.-4 yrs. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Bunbun has an older brother and a younger sister. He clearly excels at many things, but "muddles" others. While he "sings the loudest" and "gets the dirtiest," he also puts "his boots on the wrong feet" and "wears his coat inside out." The brief text is a gentle reminder that it is okay to be average, or "the middle one." The large, simple images are in bright, friendly shades of green, purple, and orange but the depictions of the characters are basically identical and the creatures can be distinguished only by size, color of clothing, and textual clues. The oversized font is designed to look handwritten. While children may relate to this character who, despite his mistakes, has a secure place in his family, they will find the text at best, middling.-Thomas Pitchford, Rosenthal Elementary, Alexandria, LA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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