The Rabbit Listened

By Cori Doerrfield (2018)

Recommended Age: 3-6 years old

Available From:

Amazon | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble

As an Amazon Associate, Build Strong Children earns from qualifying purchases.
This comes at no additional cost to you.

Review

This is a wonderful book about our emotions, our gut reactions and friendship.

In the story, the main character, a little boy, faces an unwanted situation and difficult emotions. He encounters multiple ways to react, each represented by an animal that visits him. The animals are thoughtfully chosen by the author, as they each have personalities or reputations that represent the emotion of the situation well and are easily recognizable by a little one.

For little ones, it offers simple illustrations and words (this is not meant to be a critique, it’s a compliment) and together they are extremely effective.

For parents it offers multiple teaching opportunities. The central lesson - that sometimes we just need a friend to listen - is a wonderful lesson to teach at a young age. But there is much more here than that. The story provides opportunities to talk with little ones about emotions and reactions.

This is a well-done story and book.

This book should be a favorite for parents that want to teach and guide their child, and it should be a favorite for little ones too who sometimes just want a story with cute animals and a main character they can relate to.

Cautions

The only thing I can imagine is that there are a few emotions, like anger, that are displayed that can be a little frightening for the littlest ones. However, the way the emotions, like anger, are displayed are done very well – in a way that helps children relate rather become frightened. And most importantly, the teaching and the growth possible through the story and book far outweigh those concerns.