"The Rabbit Listened" by Cori Doerrfeld

" Sometimes hugs say more than words"

The Rabbit Listened, authored by Cori Doerrfeld. The Cover of the book shows a little boy( Taylor) hugging a rabbit.

This book is about a boy Taylor who was upset, and all the animals that gave advice that didn't work- until Rabbit came along and did just the RIGHT thing.

It all started when Taylor decided to build something, which he was so proud of until when it all crashed down all of a sudden, and that got Taylor very UPSET. All the animals that noticed how upset he was, went to him and how they could help him. "Grarr! Rarr! How horrible! I bet you feel so angry! Let's shout about it! Garr!RARRR! GRAAAAR!'  was what a bear said when he went to Taylor. But Taylor never felt like shouting. And that was how they all went  one after another to him, and also left him without giving him the help he wanted or needed; The chicken, The elephant, The hyena, The ostrich, The kangaroo,The snake,until eventually The Rabbit, who knew just what to do.

I think this book is a very good one to teach children in the age group 3 to 7 about EMOTIONS and how to manage it. It will also teach them about how mistake is part of learning. Not only did it expose the readers to the behavior of the animals listed, it gave a graphical and written expression of how they sound, which is the fun part of the book. 

My favorite part of the book, as an early childhood educator, and parent, who reads to children and also understands how they respond to reading especially when I read books of this genre to them, was when Taylor was eventually by himself, and he never noticed when the Rabbit got behind him quietly until he felt his warmth.

Boys and girls who are  3 to 7 years old can relate to this story and they will not only enjoy. but LEARN from it. It is a realistic story of how children reacts and how to RESPOND.

The illustration is a very simple one, but my kids loved it, and I do too.

I give the story 5 star. The only problem I had with the book was how they did not show at first that Taylor was upset.