Albert Whitman
Copyright © 2022 Lisa Moser
Illustrations Copyright © 2022 Sally Garland
The story
A jolly spring wind has all the little bunnies feeling mischievous. But Mama Bunny is a very wise mama, and she knows just how to help her nine almost-naughty bunnies. She makes a pie. She puts it on a wagon. And she lets the jolly spring wind help her out.
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Maple thought about picking all of Mama's prized flowers for her hat. Cabbage and Radish thought about pulling up the stakes in the garden to make a raft.
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But just as the naughty
was about to begin,
the wind,
the wagon,
and the pie blew in.
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As the bunnies eat up their slices, they think about Mama and her pie-and her kindness. They are inspired to turn their mischief into kindness, and it turns the day around.
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How it was written. . .
One evening, I walked by a very delicious blueberry pie sitting on the kitchen counter. There was one piece left, so I did the only logical thing. I got a fork and ate that last piece right out of the dish. As I polished off the last bite, I said, "Good-bye, good pie."
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That got me to thinking about good pies, and the funniest notion popped into my head. A good pie could be a pie that tasted good, or it could be a pie that helped us do good. I laughed out loud, and then I started thinking. Sometimes, when I am a bit grumpy or about to do something I shouldn't, an act of kindness can stop me in my tracks. When I think of that kindness, I want to be kind, too.
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The next day, I looked out my window into our big backyard and saw a bunch of bunnies hopping and playing. I had the characters for my book! The next problem to tackle was how to deliver a pie to each of them. This phrase just popped into my head.
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But just as the naughty
was about to begin,
the wind,
the wagon,
and the pie blew in.
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Now, I was rolling pie crust!
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I had the very most fun, though, thinking up the little bunnies' names. I lay by the fire and worked and worked and worked. When my daughter came home from school, she asked what I had written that day. I showed her the list of names, and she said, "That took all day?"
I laughed and said, "It really did!" It's my very favorite part of the book. I often just recite those lines over and over for no reason other than I love it.
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One for Maple
One for Meadow.
Two for Daisy and Dew.
And one apiece for
Cabbage,
Radish,
Pansy, Plum, and Lou.
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This story was a joy to write. It celebrates springtime, little bunnies, wise Mamas, jolly little winds, good pies, and kindness that spreads and grows.
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