Title: Big Bad Bunny
Author: Franny Billingsley
Illustrator: G. Brian Karas
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Word Count: Approx. 400
Summary: When Baby Boo-Boo, a mouse dressed in a bunny suit, becomes lost in the forest, her mother follows the sound of her cries to locate her.
First, let me apologize for not getting a PB 14:14 blog challenge post completed for yesterday, day twelve. I was suffering from a migraine and needed to rest. I’m going to try to make up for it today, day thirteen, by posting two picture book analyses.
I’m going to start with Big Bad Bunny and the picture book element Pacing. I like how this book goes back and forth between Big Bad Bunny (aka Baby Boo-Boo) and Mama Mouse.
The story begins, “Big Bad Bunny has long sharp claws.” (page turn)
Scritch! Scritch! Scritch! (some onomatopoeia, then a page turn)
Then the focus shifts from Big Bad Bunny to Mama Mouse.
“But over in the Mouse House, everything is quiet. It’s naptime, and Mama Mouse tucks her babies into bed.” (page turn)
Then we shift back to Big Bad Bunny. On the left side of the two-page spread:
“Big Bad Bunny has pointy yellow teeth.”
Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! (more onomatopoeia)
On the right side of the spread, back to Mama Mouse:
“Mama Mouse kisses Little Tippy.”
We turn the page and it’s back to Big Bad Bunny on the left side of the spread, and then back to Mama Mouse on the right side of the spread. And so it continues through two more page turns, until Mama Mouse realizes that Baby Boo-Boo is missing and sets off to find her.
Then, Mama Mouse appears on the left side of the spread and Big Bad Bunny appears on the right. That pace continues through three page turns until Mama Mouse finds her Baby Boo-Boo who just happens to be Big Bad Bunny. Then the two characters appear together through the ten remaining pages as they retrace their steps back to the Mouse House.
It is difficult to explain Pacing through a blog post, so I hope what I wrote makes sense. Big Bad Bunny is a very good example of Pacing in a picture book, so I definitely recommend picking up a copy to study. The book is also filled with onomatopoeia:
And several more.
Title: Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit
Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Word Count: Approx. 700
Summary: Randy Riley, a science genius who loves baseball but is not very good at it, needs to use both his interests to save his town from a giant fireball that is heading their way.
Is there room for another example of spectacular Rhyme? I hope so because Chris Van Dusen is a master rhymer. He was able to write a 700-word picture book entirely in Rhyme. And it’s so good! It’s a real pleasure to read. Check out these stanzas from the beginning, middle, and end of the book:
(Near the beginning)
He studied all the planets.
He memorized their tilt.
He researched how the thrusters
on the rocket ships were built.
He knew the constellations
and the light-years to the stars.
And wouldn’t it be great, he thought,
to ride a bike on Mars?
(In the middle)
The robot needed power,
and Randy knew precisely
that ninety-seven batteries
would energize it nicely.
(Near the end)
Randy’s eye was on the ball.
No room for error now.
Three-two-one and FLIP THE SWITCH!
A SWOOSH and then…
Here are some of the rhyming pairs:
I’d love to give you more stanzas, but I really want you to read this book for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!