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Have a Carrot: Oedipal Theory and Symbolism in Margaret Wise Brown's Bunny Trilogy
The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon have been popular for more than half a century, and although the third text of the trilogy,
My World, is not well known, the three texts are clearly connected. The publisher describes My World as a companion to Goodnight
Moon that allows readers to "revisit that beloved world of a little bunny and his family," and Brown and Clement
Hurd, the illustrator, referred to these books as their "classic series," but no one has ever treated them as a
trilogy or noted the pervasive use of Freudian symbols or the Oedipal structure of these books. The Runaway Bunny explores
the little bunny's fantasy of the omnipotent mother. Goodnight Moon encourages a child to defy her, and My World, the only
text in which the father appears, explores the bunny-boy's competitive approach to the father he simultaneously resents, admires
and loves, while the mother rabbit slips from prominence in his life and into the shadows.
A valuable resource for parents, librarians, professors and students interested in picture books, Have a Carrot is well
researched with extensive annotations and a useful bibliography. The combination of historical fact from Brown's life, interdisciplinary
perspectives on children's literature, and detailed analysis of the way the text and illustrations work together to convey
multiple layers of meaning offers a useful framework for students preparing papers in the fields of children's literature,
psychology, and pop culture, and invaluable insights for teachers, parents and librarians evaluating picture books they might
want to purchase.
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Sam With a Bow in Her Hair
A day in the life of a precocious toddler, presented in a series of vignettes from breakfast to bedtime. The lyrical language
and Sam's imaginative approach to life are sure to please parents and toddlers alike.
Blackjack
There's a treasure in the old New York boatyards, and Jim must help the drug lord locate it before something horrible happens
to his mother. This riveting tale of adventure will appeal to readers of all ages.
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