A curated collection of children’s picture books starring rabbits.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Image courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing.
About This Project
The first iteration of this assigment was focused on building a catalog of rabbits in art. However, while making that collection, I realized that I was creating a project that I thought would be perceived as artistic rather than something I actually wanted to make.
I love children’s picture books - especially ones featuring rabbit protagonists.
One of my hobbies is collecting and preserving children's picture books – board books, hardcovers, paperbacks, all kinds. I think picture books can be enjoyed by all ages. As an adult, I have a new appreciation for the words and illustrations featured in children's literature.
In 2019 I collected my first out-of-print book, Fairyland by Gyo Fujikawa. The book enthralled me. The illustrations feature curious children of color and Black fairies dancing in the woods. I was disappointed that I had just now discovered Fujikawa's work when it would have been so inspiring to have found it as a child.
Unfortunately, the book has not been printed since its original edition in 1981, and I doubt it could've survived the clumsy hands of my childhood if I had owned a copy. It was then that I realized how important it is for us to preserve, digitize, and share these books for generations to come - even if just a record of them.
Thus, ‘Bunny Books: Rabbits in Children's Literature’ was born.
When researching books to include, I was interested in building an inclusive and diverse collection. So this project combines well-known works alongside books that sit outside of the Euro-centric focus of most popular children’s literature.