Bunnies in a Sleigh by Philip Ardagh and Illustrated by Ben Mantle - #bookreview

 

It's Christmas Eve at the North Pole, a magical, wondrous night. 

But inside Santa's workshop, somethings not quite right...

***

The Sunnytown bunnies are back for a third picture book adventure, and it might just be their best one yet! It’s Christmas Eve and Santa’s elves have fallen suspiciously unwell (just WHO gave them all those candy canes?), so it looks like Santa needs some help. Luckily, our gang of vehicle-loving bunnies are here to the rescue. Cue chaos at every turn – hopping in and out of chimneys, getting stuck in snow, stuffed in stockings, and having the time of their lives on Santa’s sleigh. It’s a crazy Christmas, but it’s SO MUCH FUN.

***

To be honest, I almost knew I would love this book before I even opened the cover. There is a slight craziness to the titular bunnies on the front cover which I found very appealing.

Pre-schoolers and infant aged children (3-6 years) will adore this book. It is the story of how when the elves get tummy ache from eating too many candy canes on Christmas Eve, and are too poorly to help Santa out with his deliveries, the bunnies step in and save the day.

Children will love the rhyming text and the quirky delightful illustrations by Ben Mantle. They are vibrant, joyous and colourful and are a great accompaniment to the text. It is fun and humourous, and adults will enjoy sharing this with their little ones.

Philip Ardagh, Ben Mantle and Walker Books make an excellent team as they have produced this fabulous book that children will love. I highly recommend slipping a copy of this into the stocking of a little one.

There have been two previous 'Bunnies' books, Bunnies on the Bus and Bunnies in a Boat which I think would be worth reading.

ISBN:  978 1529507126

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats: Hardback

No. of Pages:  32

About the Author:

Philip Ardagh is a prolific writer who has been published in 40 languages around the world. His titles include the bestselling Eddie Dickens trilogy, High in the Clouds, co-written with Paul McCartney, and Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky, the winner of the 2009 Roald Dahl Funny Prize. He stands two metres tall with a most impressive beard, and lives with his wife and son in Kent, the Garden of England. Find him on twitter and instagram as @PhilipArdagh.

About the Illustrator:

Ben Mantle is the illustrator of Follow the Track All the Way Back by Timothy Knapman, Kiss the Crocodile by Sean Teylor, Bunnies on the Bus and Bunnies in a Boat by Philip Ardagh, and is also the author-illustrator of Frog vs Toad. Find him on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram as @BenMMantle.

( book and media courtesy of Walker Books)

(all opinions are my own)