Knuffle Bunny
Mo William
Hyperion Books, 2004

This is a wonderful story about a non-verbal toddler named Trixie who loses her favorite stuffed animal, Knuffle Bunny, at the laundromat. When Trixie becomes aware of the loss, she tries to communicate it to her father but only is able to use nonsensical words which her father is unable to understand. Trixie’s antics as she gets more and more frustrated at her inability to communicate with her father are highly amusing and quite realistic, especially the illustration where she goes “boneless.” Many parents will be able to identify with the predicament of her hapless father and certainly many toddlers will understand Trixie’s unhappiness. Both children and adults will appreciate the surprise ending.

The illustrations are eye-catching. The author uses black and white photographs as the background for each illustration and paints in Trixie and her parents as colorful cartoon-like characters.