My Friend Rabbit is a children'spicture book written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann and first published in 2002. The illustrations in the book earned Rohmann the Caldecott Medal in 2003.[1]My Friend Rabbit was adapted into an animated television series in 2007.
My Friend Rabbit is a 32-page children's picture book, which follows the adventures of a mouse and a rabbit.
Rohmann used "thick-lined colored woodcuts" to illustrate his book.[2] The reader needs to turn the book sideways to look at one image properly, making "the climax [...] even more dramatic".[3] According to a reviewer in Booklist, the book's "[t]remendous physical humor delivers a gentle lesson about accepting friends as they are".[4]
A mouse loans his new airplane to his best friend, Rabbit, resulting in a series of troublesome events. When the airplane gets stuck in a tree, Rabbit gathers a group of animals in an attempt to retrieve it. The plan goes awry and the animals fall, causing them to become angry with Rabbit. Despite this, Mouse remains loyal to his friend and demonstrates the true nature of friendship. In the end, Rabbit comes up with a new idea to retrieve the airplane, leading to further adventures.
In the autumn of 2007, Nelvana produced an animated children's television show based on My Friend Rabbit. The program was recognized with several awards, including the Pulcinella Award for Best Preschool TV Series in 2008 and the Alliance of Children's Television Award for Best Preschool Series in 2009. The show was also nominated for three Gemini Awards in categories that included Best Direction, Best Musical Scoring, and Best Screenwriting. The nominees were Jason Groh for Best Direction,[citation needed]John Welsman for Best Musical Scoring, and Steve Westren for Best Screenwriting. Ultimately, Steve Westren won the award.[5]
Mouse (voiced by Richard Binsley) is a loving and sharing mouse who is Rabbit’s sidekick.
Hazel (voiced by Denise Oliver) is an orange squirrel who is very playful and likes to collect acorns.
Thunder (voiced by Jeremy Harris) is a purple rhinoceros.
Jasper (voiced by Milton Barnes) is a green alligator who is very intelligent.
Edweena (voiced by Stacey DePass) is a blue elephant who acts like a big sister figure to the others.
The Gibble Goose Girls are a quartet of white goslings. Their names are Coral (voiced by Isabel de Carteret), Amber (voiced by Hannah Endicott-Douglas), Jade (voiced by Nissae Isen) and Pearl (voiced by Camden Angelis).
^"Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938 to present"(PDF). ala.org. Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023. 2003 Medal Winner: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann (Roaring Brook Press/Millbrook Press)
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