When it is my turn to read, I usually read in Ukrainian, and we go through fairy tales that I have grown up with. For example, we love reading anything by Charles Perrault, a French author who introduced the genre of fairy tales, and whose most known tales include “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and “Cinderella”. We also love the Brothers Grimm, German authors, known for “Snow White”, “Rapunzel”, and “The Frog Prince”. The girls also enjoy listening to the stories by Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish author, who wrote “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Thumbelina”, and “The Ugly Duckling”.
However, recently when Veronika learned to read, she now can go through her library and make a well-informed choice of the books for her parents to read before her and her sister’s bedtime. One of her and Erika’s recent favorite books has become “The Runaway Bunny” written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clemen Hurd. (Margaret Wise Brown also wrote the famous “Goodnight Moon”, the poem that my kids have memorized by now, so many times Brian read it to them).
“The Runaway Bunny” is about a small rabbit, who wants to run away. His mother, however, tells that “if you run away, I will run after you”. It is a sweet and touching story. For me, as a mother, to read, or to listen to Veronika read it to us, it is the best ending of any day, no matter how tiring or challenging it was. The plot is so simple and so deep at the same time. It is a great conversation-starter with your kids if you want to talk about God and His love for us. If we ever want to run away from Him, He will lovingly pursue us. Nothing really in this world can separate us from His love.
So here is the story...
The Runaway Bunny
Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.
So he said to his mother, “I am running away.”
“If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you.
For you are my little bunny.”
“If you run after me,” said the little bunny,
“I will become a fish in a trout stream
and I will swim away from you.”
“If you become a fish in a trout stream,” said his mother,
“I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you.”
“If you become a fisherman,” said the little bunny,
“I will become a rock on the mountain, high above you.”
“If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,”
said his mother, “I will become a mountain climber,
and I will climb to where you are.”
“If you become a mountain climber,”
said the little bunny,
“I will be a crocus in a hidden garden.”
“If you become a crocus in a hidden garden,”
said his mother, “I will be a gardener. And I will find you.”
“If you are a gardener and find me,”
said the little bunny, “I will be a bird
and fly away from you.”
“If you become a bird and fly away from me,”
said his mother, “I will be a tree that you come home to.”
“If you become a tree,” said the little bunny,
“I will become a little sailboat,
and I will sail away from you.”
“If you become a sailboat and sail away from me,”
said his mother, “I will become the wind
and blow you where I want you to go.”
“If you become the wind and blow me,” said the little bunny,
“I will join a circus and fly away on a flying trapeze.”
“If you go flying on a flying trapeze,” said his mother,
“I will be a tightrope walker,
and I will walk across the air to you.”
“If you become a tightrope walker and walk across the air,”
said the bunny, “I will become a little boy
and run into a house.”
“If you become a little boy and run into a house,”
said the mother bunny, “I will become your mother
and catch you in my arms and hug you.”
“Shucks,” said the bunny, “I might just as well
stay where I am and be your little bunny.”
And so he did.
“Have a carrot,” said the mother bunny.
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