MY FRIEND RABBIT by Eric Rohmann

Rohmann, Eric. 2002. Brookfield: Roaring Brook Press. 0761315357

Plot Summary

            Rabbit and Mouse are enjoying their newly acquired toy airplane, when the inevitable happens. Rabbit’s knack for attracting trouble with well-intentioned ideas begins with the landing of the plane high in a tree. Through a succession of “good” ideas involving a giant stack of animals, Rabbit tries to rescue the plane. Of course the trouble continues, though the plane is recovered. Mouse remains loyal to his friend throughout, despite the situation and Rabbit’s reassurance of not to worry.

Critical Analysis

            This adventurous exploit is told from the point-of-view of Mouse, who is an ever-faithful friend to the accident-prone, though, creative and confident Rabbit. The characters represent the common and realistic friendship pairing of the reckless and the supportive. The character of Mouse demonstrates trust and patience by going along with Rabbit, who feels he can solve any problem, especially using unconventional methods. The major conflict is a familiar one of childhood, getting a valued item stuck out of reach. The determination and ingenuity of Rabbit, however unrealistic in method, represents the adventurous creativity of youth. Though the primary problem is resolved, the reader is led to predict the next disaster through a succession of images. The illustrations often foreshadow what is to come and naturally lead to predictions with each page turn.

The character illustrations are the focus, with the setting being minimal as predominantly a clear blue sky, and of course the offending tree. The pages present a cheerful mood, being full-colored, bright and bold, with the hard-lined characters in high contrast to the pale blue background. Lending interest and movement is the changing perspective; sometimes close up, sometimes pulled-back.

            The illustrations being the star of the show, the words are very minimal in short, choppy phrases which primarily state the obvious. Repetition is used, especially Rabbit’s not so reassuring “don’t worry, I have an idea!” Though not strong in cultural tones, the themes of friendship and trust are evident to those with good inference skills. The focus seems to be more of the fun and adventure, rather than the message.   

Review Excerpts

Connie Fletcher (Booklist, May 15, 2002 (Vol. 98, No. 18))
… The fun of this is in the spacing and sequencing of the heavily ink-outlined drawings. After Rabbit has thrown Mouse's beloved biplane into a tree, one full page consists of tiny Mouse staring up, ink accents marking his exasperation. On the facing page, Rabbit darts off, promising a solution… Tremendous physical humor delivers a gentle lesson about accepting friends as they are.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 8))
Best known for fluid, superbly realistic oil paintings, Rohmann (Prairie Train, 1999, etc) switches to thick-lined colored woodcuts and a simpler pictorial style for this nearly wordless, engagingly wacky episode. . . Rohmann uses wordless, and sometimes even empty, frames to great comic effect, allowing huge animals to make sudden entrances from the side-or from above, and artfully capturing the expressions on their faces. Young readers and pre-readers will chortle at the silliness of it all while enjoying the sometimes-demanding friendship between these disparately sized chums. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Awards and Recognitions

Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2003 Winner  

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2003 ; Bank Street College of Education

Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2003 ; H.W. Wilson
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson
Children's Literature Choice List, 2002 ; Children's Literature
Notable Children's Books, 2003 ; ALSC American Library Association

Connections

Konigsburg, E. L. 2000. SILENT TO THE BONE. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

McPhail, Davis. 2001. BIG PIG, LITTLE PIG. San Diego: Harcourt.