My Bunny Lies Over the Ocean

My Bunny Lies Over The Ocean is a picture book that reimagines the classic folk song “My Bonny” as the story of a bunny’s disappearance in the ocean when swept up in an outgoing tide. First the lost Bunny is spotted by a starfish in a submarine who sends out the distress signal. From there, the news (via underwater telephone) is passed to tuna, squid and porpoise with porpoise eventually scooping Bunny onto its back to bring them home. But of course porpoise is waylaid by schoolwork and asks whale to pitch in in the effort to return Bunny to shore. The whale obliges by swallowing Bunny and transporting it in whale’s belly before belching out Bunny onto a passing tall ship. The tall ship brings Bunny on its route to Australia whereupon a kangaroo takes up the next leg of Bunny’s journey. Eventually Bunny travels elaborately through the international postage system from Australia back home where its friends beseech Bunny to be more careful when hanging out at the beach. Throughout the tale, a band made up of seagulls sing the repeating chorus familiar from the folk song. Following the story, a QR code is provided that links to a rendition of the song sung by the Barbershop Bunnies.
My Bunny Lies Over The Ocean employs a similar structure as books in the "Pete the Cat" series, attaching a brief story and illustrations to a well-known, repeating musical chorus. Richardson’s whimsical additions are consistent with the quirky roundabout style of the original song and allow the prose to still function as a sing-along. Bill Pechet’s scratchy doodle-style illustrations echo the silly tone of the story but may not appeal to all readers. The cover, in particular, suffers from a gritty colour palette and hard-to-read hand-scripted title, hiding a more cheerful interior. While the premise of Bunny is not particularly original, fans of Richardson and Pechet will find a familiar style and humour.