Mini Rabbit Not Lost

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And John Bond makes sure that we know exactly how much Mini Rabbit likes cake or making the cake with his mother. Again, this helps us relate or understand Mini Rabbit’s desire to complete this cake when confronted with the fact of missing a key ingredient: Berries. Home Learning Reader in Residence Reader in Residence Digital Years 1 & 2 Not Lost Not Lost By John Bond Published by Harper Collins Children's Books

For me it’s a rollercoaster of emotions that I’m trying to manipulate the reader into’ - Alex Wheatle on fictional world building, creating new language and seeing yourself in a book There are opportunities for creative work. In the classroom, I would reach for a large roll of paper and make a big collaborative map of all the places Mini Rabbit passes on her way to the dark cave, adding sound effects. And then use the map as a prompt for retelling the story in the children’s own words. And of course, cake baking and decoration are a must.

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And there’s a smashing story here as Mini Rabbit heads off to gather the items needed for his camping. The fact he loses half of them on the way home or, like the marshmallows, they curiously vanish adds humour that children will love. The events add all manner of opportunities to discuss with children what has actually happened and the lovely illustrations help less secure young readers interpret the text. The message about the joys of home and safety comes through brilliantly as does the exploration of disappointment and overcoming adversity. This really is a lovely story. I really like the art work in this book. It is colourful, humorous and uses a really pleasing range of pastel colours. I like the occasional use of alternative colours too; a variety of purples for trees in a wood and blues for trees in the snow. I also like the variety of layouts. Hailing from a small farm in the Cotswolds, John studied a degree in Illustration at Kingston University, London. He went on to spend 7 years working for an award winning creative agency, designing and directing a multitude of projects for broadcast, digital, and interactive. A debut picture book from John Bond, Mini Rabbit Not Lost (HarperCollins), mixes silliness with a Jon Klassen-like note of piquant peril. Mini Rabbit loves cake – but cake can’t be baked without berries. Off he goes, on a foolhardy mission to find some. Catchphrases (“Not lost!”, “Cake cake cake!”) and an unexpected final twist make for great appeal.” But wait… rewind. Where does this story begin? In the cosy kitchen of the Rabbit family treehouse, Mini Rabbit is baking with her mother. On discovering an empty berry jar and faced with the prospect of no cake, Mini Rabbit sets out to find some berries, heedless of Mother Rabbit’s advice. What follows is an epic journey during which the single-minded, cake-loving Rabbit traverses land and sea, mountains and ravines until reaching the mouth of a very dark cave. Young children will enjoy spying the eyes along the way. Older children will notice the signposts that Mini Rabbit misses in her determination to keep moving forward.

His debut picture book, Mini Rabbit Not Lost was published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in September 2018 and was nominated for best picture book in the 2019 Waterstones Book Prize. John Bond is an illustrator, author and artist who lives and works in Worthing on the south coast, UK. Mini Rabbit’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious and his tenacious approach to the task in hand will resonate with any parent of an exuberant young child. This delightfully funny picture book teems with distinctive, vibrant illustrations, which are full of humour and complement the text perfectly. You might want to draw your cake then write your recipe, or the other way around. But your picture should be mouth-watering!Mini Rabbit is extremely excited as he is helping Mother Rabbit bake a cake. Realising they have run out of berries, Mini Rabbit leaps into action, embarking on an enthusiastic search for the missing ingredient. John also uses a wonderful narrator voice to help guide us readers along the way, gently confirming what we are seeing. The way the artwork transitions on each spread and change in scenery to the next is as interesting to study as it is to search for the hidden berries. Mini Rabbit Must Help and Mini Rabbit Come Home were published in 2020 and 2021 respectively and complete this trilogy of witty adventures.