Willow and Bunny

by Anitra Rowe Schulte (Author) Christopher Denise (Illustrator)

Willow and Bunny
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

From a Caldecott Honor winner and New York Times bestselling artist and a Christopher Award-winning author, a beautiful, heartfelt tale of friendship, community, and hope after a difficult experience.

Bunny needs a new home. After a long journey, he meets Willow and knows he will be safe beneath her branches. Every day is theirs to share. Just Bunny and Willow, Willow and Bunny.Then, one evening, an angry spiral whips through the wood. Every creature in the forest runs to Willow for shelter. As the storm rages, Willow shields and protects them with all her might. But when the calm returns, Willow's beautiful branches are tattered, twisted, and forever changed. Bunny and the other creatures know it is their turn to help.

This beautifully told tale by a Christopher Award-winning author and a Caldecott Honor artist offers messages of friendship, community, and hope after a difficult experience.

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Hardcover
$17.99

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ALA/Booklist

A gratifying glimpse of generous friendship.

Kirkus

Will appeal widely.

Publishers Weekly

Emotionally cued text by Rowe Schulte (Dancing with Daddy) and light-filled hyperrealistic landscapes by Denise (Knight Owl) tell the story of Bunny, who responds to an inner message--"Go. Find a safe place to grow"--and finds Willow, "tall, strong, soft, and steady." Bunny takes refuge under the tree's branches, where there is clover to eat and a den to shelter in. They're together always, "just Bunny and Willow. Willow and Bunny." Then a "furious twist" arrives, "Dust flew. WHIRL. Trees cracked. SMASH. Lightning flashed. BLAST," terrifying Bunny and other animals in the woods. Willow shelters them all, but the morning after, when they see that the tree is "tattered, twisted, and forever changed," it's Bunny's turn to offer Willow solace. The animals cooperate to restore and even regenerate her, carrying "her cuttings into the wood to plant." Though Willow's appearance has changed, over time, "splintered trunks became hollows and hideaways," and the bond between Bunny and Willow sustains. This tale provides a vehicle for conversations both about weather catastrophes and, more generally, about strong bonds that endure through change. Ages up to 7. Author's agent: Stephanie Hansen, Metamorphosis Literary. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Jr./ Folio Literary. (Oct.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

The cozy, kindhearted story is beautifully told, mixing moments of sweet simplicity and light peril with a gentle hand. Gorgeous digital illustrations glow on the page, capturing nature's elemental extremes while also intimating the quiet rapport between the bunny and the tree. A gratifying glimpse of generous friendship. —Booklist

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781542025690
Lexile Measure
580
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Two Lions
Publication date
October 10, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV002210 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Rabbits
JUV029050 - Juvenile Fiction | Science & Nature | Trees & Forests
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Rabbits
Picture books
Trees

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