Knuffle Bunny

Verdict: Actually Good | Parent Survival: 8/10

The first time I read Knuffle Bunny, I had to put it down halfway through because I was laughing too hard. Not at the jokes—at the recognition.

Mo Willems has somehow documented, with forensic precision, what it’s like to be a parent trying to interpret a toddler who cannot yet speak in words but has VERY STRONG FEELINGS about something you cannot identify.

The Setup

Trixie goes to the laundromat with her dad. Somewhere along the way, her stuffed bunny goes missing. Trixie knows something is terribly wrong. Trixie cannot say what.

What follows is every parent’s nightmare: a child in escalating distress, communicating in a language that sounds like “AGGLE FLAGGLE KLABBLE,” while you smile apologetically at strangers and wonder what you did to deserve this.

The Art Thing

Willems does something clever here—he photographs actual Brooklyn streets, then draws cartoon characters over them. The effect is weirdly perfect. The real-world backgrounds ground the story while the expressive cartoons capture the emotional chaos.

Also, I now have opinions about Brooklyn laundromats despite never having visited one.

The Scene That Broke Me

There’s a moment where Trixie goes “boneless.” If you’ve parented a toddler, you know exactly what this means. The full-body collapse. The refusal to be a person with structural integrity. Willems draws this with such accuracy that I briefly wondered if he’d been spying on my family.

Best For

Parents of toddlers aged 1-4. Anyone who has tried to decode “wumby flappy?!” as a complete thought. Fans of Brooklyn real estate as seen through the lens of a cartoon child’s emotional breakdown.

The Sequels: Two follow-ups exist: Knuffle Bunny Too and Knuffle Bunny Free. Both solid. The third one—where Trixie has to say goodbye to the bunny—is actually quite moving. I didn’t cry. (I cried a little.)

Also Try: Willems’ Pigeon series if you want more of his chaotic energy. “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” is basically a masterclass in toddler negotiation tactics.

Buy it here (Affiliate link. Laundry quarters.)