Chubby Bunny

by Julie Murphy, Sarah Winifred Searle (Illustrator)

Overview

The debut picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’. Told with Julie Murphy's trademark humor and heart, this is a clever, funny body-positive story about loving yourself.

Barbara “Bunny” Binks comes from a long line of Barbaras, that started with her mother and grandmother. She loves putting her hair up in “bunny buns,” playing with her rabbit Ralph, and eating marshmallows.

Then one day, she participates in her favorite marshmallow eating contest at field day called “Chubby Bunny,” and her classmates start teasing her.

But with a little help from another Barbara, Bunny figures out a very sweet solution. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063011182
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/24/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	451,459
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Julie Murphy lives in North Texas with her husband, who loves her, and her cats, who tolerate her. When Julie isn’t writing, she can be found watching movies so bad they're good, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, or planning her next great travel adventure. She is the author of the middle grade novels Dear Sweet Pea and Camp Sylvania as well as the young adult novels Ramona Blue, Side Effects May Vary, the Faith series, Pumpkin, Puddin’, and Dumplin’ (now a Netflix original film). You can visit Julie at imjuliemurphy.com.

Sarah Winifred Searle originally hails from spooky New England and is now based in sunny Perth, Australia, with their beloved husband and cat. They usually write and draw comics; their honors include winning three silver Comic Arts Awards of Australia, being shortlisted for the lgnatz Awards and Cartoonist Studio Prize, and contributing to Eisner-winning anthologies and New York Times bestselling books. 

Editorial Reviews

08/21/2023

This message-forward picture book debut from Murphy (Dumplin’) depicts a world in which family warmly supports a child facing anti-fat bias at school. “Barbara ‘Bunny’ Binks came from a long line of Barbaras.... Bunny went by Bunny, her mother went by Babs, and her grandmother went by, well—Barbara!” Bunny, who wears her hair in two “bunny buns,” loves her nickname and its connection to her pet rabbit. When school field day finally arrives, expressionistic illustrations by Searle (The Greatest Thing) show the round-bodied, pale-skinned child readying for school, “more excited than a rabbit in a carrot patch.” At the event, however, she volunteers for a tie-breaking competition—“Chubby Bunny”—and finds that her classmates’ cheers of the game’s name “didn’t feel so good.” Plans to make others forget about the incident result in further comments, and time at home opens a new line of discussion for the three Barbaras. The collaborators clearly define chubby as a neutral descriptor, allowing Bunny to reclaim the word in interacting with her schoolmates: “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with... being chubby. Or with being tall... or wearing glasses,” the protagonist says. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: John Cusick, Folio Jr./Folio Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Jen Linnan, Linnan Literary Management. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Adorable Bunny is an exuberant and inventive protagonist, approaching life with zeal and creativity. The supportive familial relationships are a joy, and happily, Bunny is given the agency to reclaim her name and confidence on her own terms. Murphy’s welcome first foray into picture books is an exceptionally friendly and frank fat-positive contribution.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Murphy makes a body-positive debut into the land of picture books with this sweet story about loving yourself for who you are! Adorable, inclusive illustrations will draw many young readers in as they identify with one or more of the characters gracing the pages of this smart, fun, empowering story. A delightful book that is more than a school story, it takes on body positivity, childhood confidence, and SEL issues, making it a valued addition to any collection.” — School Library Journal

“Murphy depicts a world in which family warmly supports a child facing anti-fat bias at school. The collaborators clearly define chubby as a neutral descriptor, allowing Bunny to reclaim the word in interacting with her schoolmates.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

10/27/2023

PreS-Gr 2—Murphy (Dumplin') makes a body-positive debut into the land of picture books with this this sweet story about loving yourself for who you are! Sweet Bunny Buns Barbara becomes the brunt of teasing when she participates in a marshmallow-eating contest and does entirely too well. Murphy captures the joyful essence of the young in Bunny and just as aptly the callous teasing of her classmates as they coin the taunt "Chubby Bunny" as a nickname. Bunny's confidence is wounded by the negative connotation in the teasing of classmates, and she tries a variety of quirky endearing antics to distract from the moniker. A little grandmotherly encouragement in crafting Chubby Bunny as a neutral phrase, not a judgement, pushes Bunny to work through accepting and being confidently happy with who she is. Adorable, inclusive illustrations will draw many young readers in as they identify with one or more of the characters gracing the pages of this smart, fun, empowering story. VERDICT A delightful book that is more than a school story, it takes on body positivity, childhood confidence, and SEL issues, making it a valued addition to any collection.—Kelly Moore

School Library Journal

2023-08-12
A young girl learns to stand up for herself.

Barbara Binks, called Bunny by her loving mom and grandma (all white-presenting), is “plain old round.” She seems happy, but when a Chubby Bunny contest at school (a stuff-your-mouth-with-marshmallows game) turns into fatphobic bullying, Bunny must figure out what to do. On the wordy side, the narrative drags in the middle as Bunny tries various unsuccessful experiments to stop the teasing, with emotional outbursts at home. The conflict is resolved with a heartfelt conversation between Bunny and her grandmother, which makes the final scenes, where Bunny addresses her classmates, feel anticlimactic. When Bunny’s teacher tries to discourage the other kids from using the hurtful nickname “Chubby Bunny,” Bunny informs them that there’s nothing wrong with the word chubby, but “If you’re going to call me Chubby Bunny, you should say it with a marshmallow in your mouth!” Though the message that chubby shouldn’t be seen as a pejorative is a much-needed one, it gets somewhat muddled, and children may come away wondering if it is, in fact, OK to comment on or even make fun of others’ bodies. The graphic novel–style illustrations use a lot of white space, and many of the spreads feel somewhat static, though Bunny and her family are tenderly rendered. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An earnest attempt at dispelling fatphobia that may inadvertently lead to teasing. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews