(1939) by DuBose Heyward and Marjorie Flack
This 1939 Easter classic is a picture book with words by DuBose Heyward and pictures by Marjorie Flack. Often heralded as a book ahead of its time and one of the first feminist picture books, The Country Bunny holds a special place in the hearts of many.
{Spoilers included}
This book tells the story of “a little country girl bunny with a brown skin and a little cotton-ball of a tail” who longs to be one of the highly admired and respected Easter Bunnies. As a young bunny, she is mocked by the “big white bunnies who live in fine houses” and the “Jack Rabbits with long legs who can run so fast.” They tell her “to go back to the country and eat a carrot.” But our young heroine doesn’t falter in her dream or determination.
When our young Cottontail grows up, she becomes a mom to twenty-one babies and is again ridiculed by the other bunnies who tell her to “leave Easter eggs to great big men bunnies,” like them. Cottontail embraces her motherhood role and does it well. When her babies are no longer babies, she teaches them to help with the many daily chores around the house, which they do with pleasure.
When news comes that one of the five Easter Bunnies is retiring, Cottontail takes her kids to the Palace of Easter Eggs to see who will be chosen to fill the role. While her dream might secretly still be tucked in her heart, our Mama Bunny shows up simply as a spectator.
But Grandfather Bunny is not impressed with any of the candidates. Yes, they might be fast, but they are not wise or kind. And then he spots Cottontail with her line of children. He admires all she does and has done as a mother, and after some questions and a demonstration of her swiftness, he chooses her as the newest Easter Bunny.
Cottontail works hard into the long Easter Eve delivering eggs, until at last there is only one more delivery to a sick boy on a snowy mountain. Grandfather Bunny chooses Mama Bunny to deliver this egg, and she sets out with bravery and determination. But after a slip and fall, Cottontail lands back at the bottom of the hill. This is when Grandfather Bunny shows up and bestows the little golden shoes that will help that final bit up the slippery mountain, and Cottontail is able to deliver the special egg.
Finally, she makes it back home to her own children with their basket, and she hangs her golden shoes on a special hook in the house until the next Easter.
Whew. So much. This is definitely a lengthy picture book – not one to crack open on a night you’re feeling sleepy. But it is also well worth a read and a share with any kiddos in your life.
I love so much about this book. I love this fiery, determined bunny who sticks to her gut and her dreams, despite all the prejudice and negativity she faces. I love that she embraces her role of motherhood – not as a chore or something standing in the way of her dreams – but as something that she enjoys. She shows up fully present for her kids, and in her role of mama, she helps set the stage for the opportunity that arises.
I love that Cottontail was recognized and admired FOR all that she’d done as a mother. Motherhood wasn’t a pause from her achieving her dream – it’s what lays the foundation for her getting it!
Her boys and girls take on the household tasks in a fairly gender-balanced way. The only jobs that don’t include the boy bunnies are the clothes washing and mending, but there are (slightly) more girl bunnies than boys. I read one article that was concerned about the sweet little boy who helps Mama Bunny with her chair, but I feel like the atmosphere that has been set up is one of flow and kindness, and I feel like this young fellow will be taken in by his siblings on the night his mama is not there.
I used to take issue with the little gold shoes themselves, seeing these as a symbol that she needed a crutch of some sort to do this job. But now I see it quite differently. I see that BECAUSE she excelled so much in her Easter Bunny role, she was granted an even higher honor. Much like a powerful wizard might be granted a staff because of their next-level abilities, Mama Bunny now has these shoes for the jobs that inherently require superhuman, er, bunny, strength.
I also really love that her very last delivery of the day is a basket to her own sweet babies, which I feel is a great potential jumping off point for any future Easter Bunny talks parents might have with their children. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m seeing this whole book as a set-up for having that talk. hmmm.
And, as a homeschool-with-the-kids-full-time mama, I love that Cottontail has this visual reminder of those shoes hanging on a hook in the house. As she goes about her year and her daily life in her motherhood role, she can also see and remember who she is as an individual and remember the awesome abilities she has.
One of my only issues with the book is the description of the sick boy who has been “so brave that never once has he cried or complained.” That one doesn’t sit well for me.
Other than that though, I’m quite pleased with this childhood classic. It’s one I grew up with and am so happy to share with my children. Hope you enjoy a re-read of this classic or enjoy it for the first time!
