Review by Booklist Review
For Paige the best part of visiting Gramma is heaping onto Old Blue Chair, along with a veritable armada of pets (two dogs, five cats, a squirrel, and a goldfish), to cuddle together and read. Noticing that the pets all have toys, Paige requests one of her own, and the next morning wakes up to Gramma's homemade creation: Bun Bun Button, a floppy stuffed rabbit. All is well until Paige hooks Bun Bun up to a helium balloon and experiences any kid's nightmare scenario: her favorite toy sailing away into the sky. From here this tenderly realistic tale takes a flight of fancy, following Bun Bun's journey through stormy weather, up close to the stars, and hitching a ride aboard two birds before falling to the ground only to be discovered by Gramma's pet squirrel. Though Polacco's characters flail and huddle with exaggerated enthusiasm, her pencil-and-marker illustrations always give the events a core of plausibility, making this gentle journey a good one for sensitive readers here comfort far outweighs any trauma.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Brimming with nostalgia, heartfelt sentimentality, and eccentricity, this portrait of a tight-knit intergenerational bond will charm Polacco enthusiasts with its old-fashioned tone and bright illustrations. Even when she is illustrating a picture of a grandmother reading to her granddaughter, Polacco fills the pages with tumbling action, familial warmth, and love. The small heroine with the big name (Paige Elizabeth Darling) cuddles with her grandmother in their favorite blue chair surrounded by pets (five Siamese cats, two terriers, a goldfish, and an unlikely pet squirrel). After Gramma makes Paige a calico bunny that the girl christens Bun Bun Button, Paige ties it to a helium balloon and it flies away. Her grandmother consoles her with the idea that the wind might blow it back ("We Darlings are lucky, after all"). Although Bun Bun's homecoming strains credulity, Polacco isn't overly concerned with reality-this is, after all, a world in which Gramma's pets stand up on hind legs and dance in unison to celebrate the stuffed animal's return. Rather, Polacco offers a cozy ode to the inherent magic in a visit with a grandparent. Ages 3-5. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Paige's bunny has a pocket in her ear and flowers on her body. She keeps the girl company when she's under the willow tree or blowing bubbles for the Siamese cats. Gramma reminds her to hold on tight to Bun Bun Button when she attaches a balloon to her arm, but when the string accidentally unravels, the helium balloon lifts the much-loved toy out of her arms and into the sky. The Darling family has always been lucky, though, so after several tears, Paige waits patiently for her Bun Bun to return. Polacco's exuberant pencil and marker illustrations take readers from the grandmother's cozy home up to the clouds where the stuffed rabbit travels with the Canada geese and a seagull. When she falls to the ground, she is delivered to Gramma by one of the woman's many pets, in this case, a squirrel. Paige comes home from preschool feeling a little sad, but after she sees Bun Bun Button everyone celebrates the reunion in Gramma's Old Blue Chair. A comforting story about the strong bond between a grandmother and her granddaughter and the loss and recovery of a beloved toy.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Paige Elizabeth Darling's cherished stuffed bunny has a mighty adventure."We Darlings have always been lucky," says Gramma, as she and Paige make cookies together and feed the five cats and two dogs. Then they sit in the Old Blue Chair to cuddle and read. While everyone seems to have their own toy, including the pet squirrel, Paige doesn't, so Gramma makes Bun Bun Button out of calico. Bun Bun goes everywhere with Paige, even to the park, where Gramma gets her the reddest and roundest of balloons. Paige wants Bun Bun to fly, too, but even though she is very careful and ties the balloon string onto her wrist and listens to Gramma's admonitions, Bun Bun and the balloon go off into the skybut Darlings have always been lucky. Polacco's exuberant and expressive pictures convey Paige's excitement and delight, and the spread in which she cries while Bun Bun flies off is a perfect childhood howl of anguish. The identical cats and the twin dogs (and the goldfish and squirrel) have whimsical and sometimes knowing expressions.Bun Bun's return, somewhat the worse for wear, brings a softly sentimental end to a classic (if a teensy bit exaggerated) childhood experience.(Picture book. 4-7)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
