Sadler, Marilyn. (1983). It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny.
Illustrated by Roger Bollen. New York: Random House, Inc. 39 p.
Many children struggle with the idea of being who they are.
P.J. Funnybunny is no different! It’s Not
Easy Being a Bunny follows a young bunny, P.J., as he tries to become
something that he is not, something that is not
a bunny. P.J. is tired of being a bunny because he thinks he has way too many
siblings, his ears are too long, and he does not enjoy eating carrots every day
so he leaves his home in search of a better animal to be. He tries to be a
bear, but he does not like it because bears sleep in the winter and he cannot
sleep. As the story goes on, P.J. tries to be a bird, a beaver, a pig, a moose,
a possum, and a skunk, but he finds that nothing is as great as being who he
really is- a bunny! P.J. discovers what it means to be yourself and that
nothing is as good as that!
Roger Bollen uses a creative mix of ink drawings and
watercolor to bring P.J. and his adventures to life. Each page gets funnier and
funnier as P.J. attempts to be a different animal. P.J. is welcomed into each
different animal family, but then something in the animals’ nature send him
away like pigs loving mud and skunks being stinky. It is nice to see how happy
P.J. is when he starts living with the new animals, but then figures out that
there is something just not right about it. Bollen really brings out the comedy
of the story!
Marilyn Sadler does an amazing job of showing children
through text how unhappy someone can be by pretending they are someone they are
not. It is so obvious to see the P.J.
does not really belong with the bears or possums, but Sadler voices that
thoughts in P.J.’s head that the audience can read about. Here easy-to-read text allows students to really grasp
what it means to go on a self-defining journey that helps them to understand that
who they are is the best person they can be. She also uses predictable text and
rhyming words that can help students who are learning to read.
This is a great story to read to children from a very early
age so they can grasp the message and then read over and over again to
reinforce it. In a second or third grade classroom, I would use this book to introduce
a creative writing project: students would write a short story about what or
who they would be if they could be anything but themselves. At the end of the
story they would write all of the great things about being who they are and why
they wouldn’t really want to be any of the previously mentioned things; it is a
project that they could get totally crazy with, but would still get a point
across. It would also be a great illustration opportunity (I love, love, love
when students illustrate their own work!).
Some reading response activity I think would be fun to do with the book It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler would be to have two dress up days. This book is on grade level for Pre K- 1st grade this is the age where children love to get creative with their outfits. I would send home a note asking parents to allow their children to dress themselves in whatever clothes they choose the next day. Then I would allow the children to put on a fashion show for each other. After each child has had time on the runway I would ask each one why they chose the outfit they had. I think this would help the students understand the lesson the book tries to teach about self-acceptance.
ReplyDeleteFor the second day, I would have the children dress like the person beside them. Only not, just to wear clothes the other person might wear but also to act like that child. At lunchtime I would ask them how they think the other person is doing at “being” them. I would also ask if they wanted to continue the project or go back to being themselves. I think this would help the children to understand that they are unique. They should be the best them they can be because no one else can be them.
This book would a great book to do the Theme song activity with children. Students could create their own theme song for this book about being yourself and the journey this bunny took to find that out. The theme song and this book could be good for age 4 and up. All children love to sing and them creating their own theme song for this book could help them connect with the book on a whole other level.
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