A backyard rabbit’s nest and Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

We’ve had a very busy bunny in our yard lately. One morning this week, she had my pansies for breakfast and that evening, I spotted her out back, working hard. What on earth was she doing, digging a hole in the middle of our yard and lining it with mud and grass? I wish I’d taken a picture of her when I went out to visit her, but she quickly hopped away and only returned after I’d left.

I did get a picture of her work, which I’m now sure is a nest. I don’t know if she’s still making it ready for babies, or if she decided on a better place. But I took a peek this morning and there are no little bunnies in there. I hope she makes this the place, though. My pansies may suffer, but I’d like to see some little ones hopping about.

It’s a cozy little place and it reminded me of one of my favorite children’s books,  Home for a Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams. Here’s an early post from my blog:

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I think everyone knows the classic children’s book, Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, but do you know about Home for a Bunny? It is just one of Brown’s many books, but it became one of our favorites here. And the illustrations are as great as the words in this nice story about a bunny looking for a home.

But there’s more to this story than you think. Brown has a way of stating the facts plainly and although the bunny looks sweet and innocent, he knows the realities of nature when he searches for a place to live. He doesn’t belong with the birds or the frogs or the groundhog. He would fall out of a nest, he would drown in a bog, and the groundhog tells him bluntly, “No, you can’t come in my log.” He’s safe at last when he finds a place where bunnies live.

Somehow, in just a few words, Brown and Williams show how all the creatures know where they belong and they accept it. And these words are balanced nicely with illustrations that are both realistic and sweet.

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Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown

Margaret Wise Brown (1910 – 1942) was an American author of children’s books. She led a short, but very successful career writing over a hundred children’s books, most notably, Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Brown was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended school in both Switzerland and the United States. She earned a degree in English at Hollins College, in Roanoke, Virginia and began her writing career while working at the Bank Street Experimental School in New York. Her first book, When the Wind Blew, was published in 1937.

Brown died unexpectedly, of an embolism, after surgery for appendicitis. Brown was an interesting character, who had a quirky personality and several tumultuous romantic relationships. You can learn more about these details from the following links.

Harper Collins biography
Britannica biography
Slate.com article

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Garth Williams

Garth Williams

 

Garth Williams was a well-known American illustrator of children’s books, including Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, and the Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

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