Hoppelpopp and the Best Bunny

January 1, 2015
A pointed fable on the hazards of competition and the benefits of cooperation.Published in Europe five years ago but not previously available here, the episode is played out by bunnies who gambol fetchingly through grassy fields in Kaufmann's stippled watercolors. Binny, Benny, Bernie, Bonnie and Buddy live together, play together and share the food and fun they find-until, that is, a big stranger bunny named Hoppelpopp arrives and asks which one is the "best bunny." When the others answer that they're all the same, he sets up a race and other contests so that soon, all but the smallest, Buddy, are aggressively declaring themselves the fastest, strongest, smartest or bravest. When, however, Buddy draws his burrow mates back together to chase off a badger, they see the error of their ways-and Hoppelpopp, ignored, anticlimactically hops away. For all the worthy values on display here, readers will likely be left hanging by the abrupt ending; the big bunny's evident lack of motive or agenda render him superfluous to the story and irrelevant to its theme. At best an incomplete discussion starter, without much political or psychological depth. (Picture book. 5-7)

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March 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-In this sweet story with charming, childlike illustrations, five bunnies-Binny, Benny, Bernie, Bonnie, and Buddy-live an idyllic life. They sleep together, play together, and even share all their food. They are friends and playmates, and are perfectly contented until a new, bigger bunny named Hoppelpopp arrives. His very first question stumps the bunnies ("Which of you is the best bunny?"). He arranges contests to determine the fastest, the strongest, the smartest, and even the bravest, and soon the winning rabbit in each contest is loudly proclaiming, "I am better than the rest of you." It takes the arrival of another outsider for the bunnies to realize that each rabbit is "equally good" and that their individual talents are meaningless in the absence of companionship. While adults will recognize the socialist underpinnings of the story, younger students will just notice the value of cooperation and sharing. For older students, the story could provide a great springboard to debate the merits of competition and the sharing of talents and resources within a society. VERDICT An excellent and thought-provoking read-aloud.-Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA

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