Even though the rabbit has a lot of energy and an interesting personality, mouse loves having rabbit as a friend. Mouse is very patient and this is shown during the book as rabbit launches his toy plane into a tree. Their friendship is seen throughout the book and although "trouble" may follow, they each appreciate the friendship they have in the end. This book is great for 1st and 2nd graders as they learn more about friendships and their importance. The humor within the pages causes this pleasant book to become a favorite of many children. Rohmann's book is a great reminder for students to be kind to each other and cherish their friendships. For a lesson, the teacher can ask students to write about a friend that they care a lot about. Children can share to a partner and/or in small groups about their stories. They can also draw illustrations to accompany their story. To incorporate literacy, the teacher can ask students to use a certain set of vocabulary words into their stories. This lesson would be a great way to conclude the reading of this book and also take the discussion a step further and strengthen vocabulary in the process.
"My Friend Rabbit"
This wonderful tale written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann has won the Caldecott Medal and details the loving friendship between a mouse and a rabbit. Even though trouble stirs within the story, mouse and rabbit remain caring friends that love each other dearly.
Did you know?
"This story is an excellent way to lead in to a discussion about friendship skills. Both Rabbit and Mouse are caring friends. Mouse demonstrates patience and understanding in the face of Rabbit’s unconditional and enthusiastic friendship. A cross-curricular follow-up to a read-aloud of this story would be to have children write and illustrate an original story about their best friend and what makes that friend unique. Second grade students who listened to this story enjoyed the humor of the accident-prone rabbit and the expressions on the faces of the poor, unfortunate animals; and thought that Mouse was also a very good friend." http://lisasliteraturereviews.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-my-friend-rabbit-by-eric-rohmann.html