Reviews

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath

lyraswanson's review

5.0

"The Richness of our lives depends on what we are willing to notice and what we are willing to believe"---quote from the book. Wow! I really loved this book. I could not stop laughing as I was reading it. Hippie parents, kidnapping foxes, and detective rabbits who could ask for a better story.

pussreboots's review

5.0

http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2015/comments_05/mr_and_mrs_bunny_detectives_extraordinaire.html

pinknantucket's review against another edition

4.0

This is an adorable book. Adorable, I tell you! I am keen to read more adventures of Mr and Mrs Bunny, detectives extraordinaire. I must say, marmots aren't quite what expected, character-wise. They're kind of like grotty stoners, and they never bring cake when they come to visit. Anyway, the foxes are up to no good and the Bunnys end up helping (human) Madeline save her parents.

My copy: lent to me by a friend. I really must return it soon.

mycouscous's review against another edition

3.0

Absurdity abounds in Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, the story of a married bunny couple who attempt to help a responsible young girl find her hippy parents (who have been kidnapped by foxes). This will be appreciated by parents as a readaloud to their children - there is plenty for both audiences to laugh at. There isn't much beyond the jokes, except for brief philosophical glimpses into the life of nature beyond human's eyes. For fans of out of left field humor and Nanny Piggins.

booksandbosox's review against another edition

5.0

http://librarianosnark.blogspot.com/2013/09/review-mr-and-mrs-bunny-detectives.html

pattydsf's review against another edition

4.0

Thank goodness for serendipity. On the Fiction_L listserve, someone mentioned that this book would make a good choice for a book discussion group. I found that hard to believe; looked it up in my library's catalog and took it home that night to read. I was intrigued with the premise of the book, but even more intrigued with the thought of an adult book club talking about a mystery narrated by rabbits.

This is a hoot. There are several layers to Mrs. Bunny's story so adults and children will both find things to laugh about. Horvath does a great job of translating Rabbit so that all readers know about the mystery and cheer on the protagonists as they try to solve it. All the characters, humans, rabbits, foxes and even marmots are wonderful.

I am still not sure if most book groups would find enough to talk about, but I can't think of many people young or old that wouldn't find something to amuse them in this story.

I recommend this mystery to parents who are looking for an easy chapter book to read with their kids, to folks who need a good laugh and to husbands and wives who may see themselves or their spouse in this tale.

This is great fun. You shouldn't miss it.

tashrow's review against another edition

4.0

Madeline has always taken care of her parents rather than the other way around. She knows they won’t come to her school events, not even the graduation ceremony that Prince Charles will be attending! Because they aren’t interested, she has to find a way herself to get the required white shoes for the ceremony. But when she returns home after waitressing, she discovers that her parents have been kidnapped by foxes! The only one who can help them is Madeline, who will also need help. She finds it in Mr. and Mrs. Bunny who have just become detectives, having purchased the necessary fedoras for that sort of work. The three set out to solve the mystery and rescue Madeline’s parents. On the way, they have to consort with garlic-bread munching marmots, stand up to the Bunny Council, learn to drive a car wearing disco shoes, and become fast friends.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.

luann's review against another edition

3.0

This was fun and silly, although I went back and forth with how much I liked it while I was reading it. I sometimes got tired of the silliness and wanted it to end sooner, but I always wanted to finish and find out what happened. I mostly liked Mr. and Mrs. Bunny and Madeline, but not too many of the other characters. There were several quotes that I really liked, some of which made me laugh out loud.

I find now that I've finished that I would be willing to read another Mr. and Mrs. Bunny book sometime, which surprises me. So this is one of those rare books that I look back on with more enjoyment than I had while I was reading. If you are looking for a fun and quite silly book where rabbits and foxes and marmots can talk and be detectives and write books and enjoy garlic bread, this might be the book for you.

(This is a nominee for Arizona's 2015 Grand Canyon Reader Award.)

isalavinia's review against another edition

3.0

Clever writing and an engaging plot, full of funny details, like the various fox enterprises and rabbit inventions.
Madeline was a perfectly sensible little girl and her hippie parents were very amusing.
One thing I absolutely loved about this book were the illustrations, they were just the most darling things! I really wish there had been more of them.

All in all a very entertaining read for little kids.

janeneal's review against another edition

I assumed this book would be a bit silly but fun, like a more lighthearted Beatrix Potter. Instead, I found it beyond frustrating, mostly because of the kind of humor it utilized. There were so many times that Mr. Bunny yelled about Madeline's ENORMOUS BOTTOM.

Butts are funny, I'm not denying that but how about children's books refrain from using the size of a girl's butt as the punchline of a not very original joke. Like, seriously. I'm so fucking sick of the insidious ways the shaming women and girls for how they look or their size just oozes into literally everything.

Beyond that, I found Madeline's parents impossible. They were such annoying hippie caricatures and I'm just not in the mood for the liberal-parents-don't-know-how-to-parent-bullshit, intentional or not.

I wouldn't recommend this for parents or kids. Pick up some Beatrix Potter instead.