Bunny Will Not Jump!: Ready-to-Read Level 1

November 1, 2020
A bunny loses his bounce and needs help buoying his spirits. Big--a blue bear--greets readers and explains the problem. Big's friend Bunny, a mauve rabbit, will no longer jump. "He usually loves to jump," Big explains, "but now he will not even try." Big speculates that Bunny might be sad because of what happened when the animals had a jumping contest. Big jumped the farthest and the highest, and Bunny gave up: "I will never be able to jump like you!" Big tries offering Bunny prizes and scaring him, but nothing gets his friend bouncing again. Ultimately, Big needs readers' help to motivate Bunny to hop. Readers are instructed to "shake the book up and down," to "push the blue button," and to perform other tasks. But will any of it be enough for Bunny to take the leap? In this rousing follow-up to Bunny Will Not Smile! (2019), Big and Bunny prove themselves a playful pair. With around 150 words and their variants--many of which are unique one- or two-syllable words--the text best suits emerging readers with a bit of fluency. Still, Tharp builds in additional support by holding to a maximum of six lines of text per page and providing color-coded dialogue boxes (blue for Big; mauve for Bunny). The interactivity, though brief, will have broad appeal. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 57.6% of actual size.) Boundless fun. (Early reader. 4-6)

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Starred review from March 1, 2021

K-Gr 2-This purple bunny drawn in a cartoon style has foot-stompin' attitude in Tharp's entry in the "Ready-to-Read" series. So why won't Bunny jump? The problem is introduced by a big blue bear who addresses readers directly: "Oh, hi, friend! It is your pal Big. I have a problem. Bunny will not jump." Big's word balloons are blue. Bunny's are purple. It feels like a fight. "That is right. I will not do it." Emerging readers will be provoked and then pleased to watch events unfold; they'll be thrilled when they're invited to shake the book to help Bunny jump, and then flip a page back and forth where the stubborn rabbit is drawn in two different positions, animating Bunny. This is ideal material for those needing the same push of confidence that Big supplies Bunny. Simple concepts, flowing word choices, and the discovery that Bunny loves to jump will have children realizing they love to read. VERDICT Ready to read or ready to jump, this book encourages and rewards, and kids will demand an encore in every collection.-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

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