Happy Dreams, Little Bunny

Just one glance at the inviting cover, and it is clear that this beautiful picture book holds the potential to become a much-loved bedtime routine in many homes. With its captivating illustrations and relatable text, it reads like a lullaby, its coziness scale equally comparable to classics like Goodnight Moon and Guess How Much I Love You.

Little Bunny is having trouble sleeping and, clutching a blue elephant stuffy, ventures downstairs to seek solace from mother. It’s hard being small, staying in bed, and worrying if you will ever grow larger one day. Mother Bunny acknowledges these very real concerns and, in tender reassuring tones, she asks Little Bunny a series of gently probing questions that encourage imaginative responses while cleverly planting the seeds for some lovely dreams.

Their engaging conversation alternates rhythmically between the adult and her offspring, with mother’s words denoted with italics and Little Bunny’s expressed in a regular font.

What’s the matter, Little Bunny?

I keep wondering if I’ll stay small forever. Will I ever be big?

I can see why your thoughts are keeping you up.

What if you turned some of these thoughts into dreams?

I could try…

It won’t be hard, Little Bunny, with your imagination.

Maybe Elephant can help! In my dreams, Elephant will be real.

How perfect. What will you do together?

We’ll have lots of adventures, all by ourselves.

First, we’ll go to the beach and play. We’ll pretend we’re giants.

That sounds like fun. What will you do next?

Little Bunny’s blue elephant stuffy is transformed into a fellow traveler who accompanies his friend on this sleepy-time adventure, and, together, they fill the book’s pages, happily imagining dream possibilities. Since Little Bunny’s nighttime worries were concerned about always remaining small, it is only fitting that some of these adventures depict Little Bunny and Blue Elephant as they hope to be one day - all grown up and towering over the other figures in the illustrations. These fanciful dreamscapes are accompanied by the contrasting and more realistic scenes on the opposite pages which show Little Bunny in smaller scale, acting out the dream activities until Mother eventually carries her now sleepy child back to bed.

There are plenty of engaging details contained in the illustrations, perfect for a young child to discover and discuss with a parent and to, hopefully, include in a happy dream. From a fun romp on a sandy beach, to hitching a ride on bumblebee, growing wings to fly over the ocean, or taking a climb up to the moon and back – a fantastical world of possibilities is encouraged.

It sounds like you’re going to have a very busy night. Do you think you’re ready to begin your adventure now? Can I bring you back to your bed?

Okay…but, Mommy?

Yes, Little Bunny?

I think Elephant’s already asleep.

I think you’re right.

Good night, Little Bunny. Happy dreams.

This story is a debut for author and illustrator Leah Hong. Her passion for the picture book format and storytelling, merged with her considerable artistic talents, has resulted in a tale that the reader will certainly not easily forget. Using the mediums of pastel, pencil crayon, and graphite, she has done a masterful job of portraying the sleepy-time imagination of Little Bunny. The soft-edged lines and subdued colours in her drawings mirror the end of the day and enhance the comfortable snuggling bedtime mood, making perfect reading with a pajama-clad child. Hong lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has two Little Bunnies of her own, to whom this book is dedicated. She holds a visual arts degree in both painting and drawing from Emily Carr University and has work experience as a graphic designer and illustrator.

Also worthy of mention is the clever story design which sidesteps the gender promoting stereotypes which are often an issue with children’s picture books. Instead of channeling the readers along a specific gender path, neither the text nor illustrations of this story state or suggest if Little Bunny is a boy or girl. Of course, this neutrality is more easily accomplished through the use of animal characters. The absence of any visual gender markers throughout makes it a perfect story to introduce the concept of gender assumption at an early age. The research shows that, “unless children are given the opportunity to talk about and begin to understand how the gendered discourse works then no amount of exposure to literature claiming that girls and boys are equal will change their views.” (Davies and Banks) And while on the subject of gender stereotypes, it is appreciated that Happy Dreams, Little Bunny also offers an inclusive nod to single mothers.

This gentle picture book, infused with an encouraging and reassuring message from a loving parent and the special promise of dream-generating adventures, is sure to become a treasured bedtime read for years to come. It would also be enjoyed by primary students and would be an especially lovely gift purchase for a baby shower or youngster’s birthday. When the Little Bunny who receives this storybook grows larger and begins to read independently, the alternating text will still hold the potential for many enjoyable tandem read-alouds between parent and child. Happy Dreams, Little Bunny is highly recommended for a happy bedtime full of sweet dreams for the smallest family members, safe in the knowledge that Mother will always be there upon their return, ready with warm hugs and an eagerness to hear all about their adventures.