This week I thought I’d share one of my children’s all time favorites. It may be a little hard to find, but I found it at both my library and through used book sellers.
That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown
Written By: Cressida Cowell
Illustrated By: Neal Layton
Orchard Books, 2007, Hardcover Version
Target Audience: Ages 3-7
Genre: Fiction
How We Discovered This Book
I happened to borrow this book from our library based on the cover art, and my children and I fell in love with it. I tracked down a used copy for our home library.
Summary
Emily Brown goes everywhere with her bunny, Stanley. They have all kinds of adventures: in space, in the Amazon rain forest, and many other places. The Queen decides she wants a toy as nice as Stanley. In fact, she wants Emily Brown’s bunny. Now.
What I Liked
The story is told with much creativity and humor. The illustrations not only complement the story, they have many additional details waiting for a perceptive child to find. The writing is so tight and critical to the story, you feel as if Ms. Cowell chose every word very carefully. There are no extra words in this story, but it doesn’t feel spare, either. We quickly know what Emily Brown is all about without much text.
What Did My Son Aidan Think?
Both my son and my daughter love this book. We currently read it at bedtime 3-5 times a week. They each have their favorite parts that they recite during the storytelling. Aidan’s favorite part (and mine) is when Emily Brown corrects the Queen’s military men, sent to get the bunny: “This rabbit is NOT for sale. And his name is NOT Bunnywunny. It’s Stanley.” My daughter loves when the men offer Emily ten talking dolls that say “Mama, Mama.”
Resources
If you enjoy this book too, and would like have more fun with it, here are some resources to check out:
A Life Spent Reading 
This is one of my all-time favorites. I have a review on my site, too! It’s always a hit with my kids, too.
I’ve never seen this one but it sounds like lots of fun! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Oh I second and third your review! Perhaps one of the most charming and perfect picture books ever. 🙂
What a delightful story. I’ve never heard of it before. Thank you for sharing some lines so we got a sense of the book. Great selection.
I’ve never heard of this one either, but it sounds delightful! Can’t wait to take a look.
I haven’t heard of this but it sounds hilarious. Thanks for recommending it. I will look for it!
The title had me, then the cover, then bunny’s name! Putting it on hold now!
Aww… you have a bunny story too! It sounds like a fun read. Thanks for sharing Katie!
Aww… you found a bunny story too! Great minds! Sounds like a fun story, thanks for sharing Katie!
Stanley – hahah. This is new to me, but very happy for the recommendation!
You’re right about the cover. It’s a charmer. May all authors (non illustrators) be so lucky. This one was new to me.
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