8 Best Loved Bunny Books for Easter

I have loved bunny books since childhood. I suppose my Easter Sunday birth forever forged my attachment to rabbits.

My oldest daughter’s room is decorated with the Peter Rabbit tea set from my nursery and old Peter Rabbit books I found in my grandmother’s antique shop.

Both of my daughters have favorite stuffed bunnies that they sleep with at nap and bedtime. My oldest daughter is so attached, in fact, that we actually keep three duplicates of “Bunny” as backups for whenever he needs to be washed.

Best Loved Bunny Books for Easter

We have an extensive collection of bunny books at our house, between my childhood books and new books given to my children in the last few years for birthdays and Easter.

Here are a few of our favorite rabbit tales, because of their sweet messages of love and friendship:

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

My sister in law gave this classic to my oldest daughter for her first birthday. It’s a heart-wrenching story about the painful but worthwhile process of becoming “Real.”

Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith

I love this book because it invites readers to let go of perfectionism and accept God’s unconditional love. Caroline’s love for her imperfect Audrey Bunny teaches us that it’s our flaws that make us special. This book is geared towards elementary aged children, but my 3-year-old daughter loves the story because she is so attached to her own “Bunny.”

If you want to know the real story of Audrey Bunny, you can read Angie’s blog here, but have the tissues ready:

In a way, the story of Audrey’s sickness began with a bunny. While shopping for my best friend Audra (the baby is named after her and also my middle name, Carole), I came across a bunny that for some reason, I just fell in love with. I told Todd that it reminded me of Audrey and I wanted to buy it for her…he did not fall in love with the price tag the way I fell in love with the bunny, so we moved on to another store. Later that night, as I rocked Kate to sleep, I began to weep. We had no indication that there was a problem with the baby, but my intuition had been busy since conception.

Tales of Peter Rabbit And His Friends by Beatrix Potter

I have always loved Beatrix Potter and the characters she created through both writing and illustration. I’m even more in love with her since I watched Miss Potter, the movie about her life. Her books were published only because of her perseverance and tenacity in what was truly a man’s world at the time. She loved Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny as if they were her actual friends.

My three-year-old adores the Nick Jr. television series, and while the animation and voices are very cute, they don’t really make Peter naughty enough to jive with the stories for my taste. Perhaps they feared parents would revolt if their main character was too disobedient!

There are also three beautiful, new Peter Rabbit books written by actress Emma Thompson. So far, we’ve only added the Christmas one to our collection but the others are tempting me…

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow

I remember, in high school, telling my mom that I needed my favorite book from childhood for a speech project, and her directing me to my very tattered and well-loved copy of this book. Clearly, the story of a little girl enlisting the help of her bunny friend to find a birthday gift for her mother resonated with me.

“I would like to give her something that she likes,” said the little girl.

“Something that she likes is a good present,” said Mr. Rabbit.

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

This 1942 classic is now a great board book for young children (and a perfect baby shower gift). My friend Karan sums up its wonderful message:

The idea that a mother would never stop looking for her runaway child is powerful and life-affirming.

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown

This quintessential Easter book, originally published in 1947, by the author of The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon, is about a bunny and duck finding one another and becoming friends. The bunny finds an egg and exhausts himself trying to find out what’s inside. When the egg finally hatches, the bunny is asleep, and the duckling eventually succeeds in waking him.

“Where is my egg?” said the bunny. “And where did you come from?”

“Never mind that,” said the duck. “Here I am.”

Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry

The newest addition to our bunny books collection, this Caldecott Honor Book is another story of unlikely friends–Marshmallow the rabbit and Oliver the cat.

Oliver forgot that he had ever thought of Marshmallow as a strange animal to be pounced upon. He adopted the little bunny and brought him up as his own kitten.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

We actually own two copies of this sweet bedtime story, but one is the pop-up edition, given to my youngest daughter by my in-laws on the day she was born. Throughout the book, the father bunny, Big Nutbrown Hare, assures his bunny son, Little Nutbrown Hare, of the immeasurable depths of his love for him.

“I love you right up to the moon,” he said, and closed his eyes.

“Oh, that’s far,” said Big Nutbrown Hare. “That is very, very far.”

Big Nutbrown Hare settled Little Nutbrown Hare into his bed of leaves. He leaned over and kissed him good night. Then he lay down close by and whispered with a smile, “I love you right up to the moon–and back.”

More bunny books

When I polled Facebook friends for favorite bunny books, additional suggestions were The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward and the Max and Ruby books by Rosemary Wells. Bunnies by Richard Scarry and I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom (illustrated by Richard Scarry) also made the cut.

What are you and your kids’ favorite bunny books for Easter?

Let me know in the comments, and I just might add them to our collection!