Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow
Bibliography
Zolotow, C. (1977). Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. (Original work published 1963). ISBN-13: 9780064430203
Summary
A young girl seeks the advice of a rabbit in the forest as she goes in search of a birthday gift for her mother. The girl proposes colors one by one and each time the rabbit gives suggestions of things that she might give that would be that color. The first few are never good ideas but he manages to recommend something that will work for each color until she has created a lovely present.
My Impression
Mr. Rabbit’s Lovely Present is written in a predictable pattern making it easy for the early reader to join in a read aloud. Most children will quickly identify with the theme and enjoy the game of identifying the names of basic colors and fruits. This book received the Caldecott award; I personally did not enjoy the illustrations.
Reviews
"An outstanding book (that) can be read by first-graders."--School Library Journal.
"Finding a birthday present for her mother is no easy task for our heroine. Luckily, she happens upon the avuncular Mr. Rabbit, whose heart is in the right place, even if he doesn't always have the best ideas. Ultimately, his suggestions do come in handy, and between the two of them they determine the ideal birthday tribute: the gift of color. Children will join the protagonists in contemplating how to make the abstract tangible, and all readers will be delighted to see yellow translate to bananas, as green is given in pears, and blue takes the shape of grapes. " The soft, muted colors of Sendak's illustrations are reminiscent of a Monet landscape--utterly appealing and dreamy. And the reflective, sing-song dialogue between Mr. Rabbit and the girl is as deliciously lulling as a shady swing in a hammock. This quiet, peaceful book is a treasure for any shelf. (Ages 4 to 8)" --- Amazon.com.
Suggested Activities
This would be a great storytime read aloud for Kinder or First Graders. You could provide Kinder students with patterns of the fruit pieces in the story and a basket. Students would practice identifying colors as they created their own fruit baskets.
Mr. Rabbit’s Lovely Present makes a good writing prompt for First Graders. After reading, have students write and illustrate a story of the perfect gift for mother. This would be an excellent activity prior to Mother’s Day.
