![MamaBunny_cover_hires[4580].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8ee106_161d6e4d556d47d6b034d2217492a5d0~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_9,w_1211,h_1482/fill/w_241,h_295,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/MamaBunny_cover_hires%5B4580%5D.jpg)
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.
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.
But just as the naughty
was about to begin,
the wind,
the wagon,
and the pie blew in.
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.
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."
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.
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.
But just as the naughty
was about to begin,
the wind,
the wagon,
and the pie blew in.
Now, I was rolling pie crust!
I had the very most fun, though, thinking up the little bunnies' names. I laid 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.
One for Maple
One for Meadow.
Two for Daisy and Dew.
And one apiece for
Cabbage,
Radish,
Pansy, Plum, and Lou.
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.