First sentence: Here are Paul and Judy. They can do lots of things. You can do lots of things, too.

Premise/plot: Pat the Bunny is an interactive book for very young children. It was originally released in 1940. I don't know how many other books for VERY young children existed at the time. (Certainly not as many as there are in recent decades). But this is one of the books from 1940 that has lived on, if you will, from its original publication and become somewhat iconic. (Though perhaps less so these days? I know it was iconic in my own childhood.)

Judy and Paul do "lots" of things. "Judy can pat the bunny. Now YOU pat the bunny." Judy can play peek-a-boo with Paul. Now YOU play peek-a-boo with Paul. Paul can smell the flowers. Now YOU smell the flowers."

My thoughts: Pat the Bunny is one of the books I remember my mom reading to me. I could NOT find my own copy--perhaps long destroyed????--for the purposes of review. Though it has been decades since I last read Pat the Bunny, I remembered more than half the activities. I think, for some generations at least, this book is iconic. I'm not sure it is *still* iconic for the past few generations. Is this still being bought and read today? Has it been replaced with other board books, other interactive books in the past fifteen to twenty years? Perhaps. I don't know. I know that Guess How Much I Love You and Love You Forever are certainly become icons. Goodnight Moon--an older title--is still an ever-present icon.

This one is a spiral bound interactive, "activity" book. I haven't heard any outlandish stories about it being canceled, but, honestly it wouldn't shock me if there was someone out there somehow, somewhere who could find reasons to take offense at this one. ( )

I did not own a Pat the Bunny book (that I remember, anyway) but I believe I had nieces and nephews with this book. I love this book. I've spent time in bookstores patting the bunny. ( )

for small children. I think that sensory books are great for entertainment as well as development. We have learned the importance of reading to children. This is a sweet way to encourage children to want to interact with books. It is short and simple, but it is about the experience. ( )

This is a simple 'touch and feel' book that seems kind of old fashioned but really works well with babies! My seven month old granddaughter is crazy about this book, especially the peek-a-boo page. Must-have for families. ( )

Introducing two children - Paul and Judy - the narrator of this simple interactive book for young children invites the reader to join them in various activities, from patting a furry white bunny to playing peekaboo with a towel. Feeling Daddy's scratchy face, and reading a story (about a bunny, of course!) are also included in the delights here...

Originally published in 1940, Pat the Bunny is an established classic of American children's literature, and was quite ground-breaking in its day, offering an interactive experience to young child reader/listeners that was quite unique. Well-conceived and well-designed, it has stood the test of time, even though plenty of other interactive books for toddlers have surfaced in the intervening years. Somehow I missed this one, when a child myself, but I can see why it is so popular, and have frequently recommended it to patrons of the various bookstores where I have worked. ( )