Dianne White

I have a new favorite picture book – BUNNY DAYS by Tao Nyeu. 

Here’s why.  Exquisite Illustrations. Gorgeous design. Frameable dust jacket (!). Surprising Text.

I’m not an artist and while I *wish* I had the language/vocabulary to talk about BUNNY DAYS in a way that does it justice, I don’t.

BUT, what I do have is a deep appreciation for spare lines and meaningful use of color, and a general intuitive sense of “what works” from a design standpoint.

BUNNY DAYS has all this in spades.

Suffice it to say, that I think this book is absolutely Caldecott worthy.  (Perhaps Jules over at Seven Imp will do an interview with Tao???  Check here (scroll to the bottom) for a snippet by Jules about BUNNY DAYS.)

In the first chapter, “Muddy Bunnies,” curved lines abound.  In the hills, in the repeating shapes of flowers, in the arch of tree trunks.  The pallete is soft: “retro” blues, oranges, greens and browns.  White is used with intention.

The composition varies – double page spreads, spot illustrations on a sea of white set off by a few carefully placed clouds, and so on.

The are bunnies aplenty, each with a personality of its own. One sleeps by a tree, another basks in the sun, arms spread wide, another leans in to study a small green frog.

I could go on about how the “feel” of each chapter is different because each has its own color palette - distinct from the others and yet complementary -  so that one chapter seems to lead easily to the next.

I could talk about the quality of the paper, the whimsy of end papers filled with tumbling bunnies, the dust jacket that is an actual POSTER (!) and the full-color casewrapped (I think that’s the term) illustrated hardcover.

Besides the stellar illustration and overall design, there’s the humorous and original story line.

• Muddy Bunnies swish swashing in the (delicate cycle) washer. Bunnies that dry on the line all day, all night, then hop off, happy and ready for a brand-new adventure.
• Dusty Bunnies dozing deep underground while Mrs. Goat vacuums up… grass, leaves, bunnies. “WHIRRRRR goes the fan”  A few quick fixes by Bear and all is well again.
• Bunnies without tails and tails without bunnies.  Poor Mr. Goat turns to Bear again. Of course, Bear knows what to do!  In the end, “everyone is happy.”

Want to know more? Drop in here – Tao Nyeu’s website.