BREATHE, BUNNY, BREATHE

A rabbit learns calming strategies to help with his big bunny feelings.

Bunny, who has large, expressive eyes and two protruding front teeth, is adorable. Except when he is angry. Then he turns from “oh so sweet” to full of rage: “He SHOUTS and STAMPS HIS FEET!” Mama teaches him to take slow, deep breaths when he’s upset. “IN…and OUT…BREATHE, BUNNY, BREATHE.” Bunny finds himself in many irritating (and relatable) situations. Dropping your ice cream before you’ve even taken a lick? Frustrating. Having to get out of the pool because it is closing unexpectedly? Maddening. Waiting too long for your carrot cake and getting hangry? Disaster. But Bunny knows what to do. “BREATHE, BUNNY, BREATHE.” Sometimes that doesn’t work, however. Bunny finds himself frozen in fear on a recital stage; his feelings are too big and too overwhelming, and he runs off. But Mama and Bunny explore other options. Lavdie and Boldt bundle time-tested advice with humor and playful rhymes. The backdrop switches to bright red when Bunny seethes (his fuzzy eyebrows also furrow), but his deep breaths are set against a soothing white. Appended backmatter explores other coping mechanisms to try.

Regulating emotions with deep breaths…and guffaws.