I sure hope NOT LOST isn’t the only Mini Rabbit book that John Bond is going to do. I really enjoy this character John has created and how well he captured the enthusiasm a child can have when given the chance to help. For me, that’s the “thing” I want to really take away from this for my writing. I hope you’ll be able to find and capture that bit of life that we can all relate to and enjoy as well Hop little bunnies, hop, hop, hop, Hop little bunnies hop hop hop, Hop little bunnies hop hop hop hop hop hop now stop

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. It could have exciting ingredients like your favourite food or dragon scales. How would it be decorated? But they have run out of berries and can't make the cake without them. Before Mother Rabbit can say there are berries growing under their tree house, Mini Rabbit has already rushed off on an adventure to find more berries. Mini Rabbit walks and walks and walks, further and further from berry woods. He doesn't notice any of the berries along the way and he won't take anyone's help. Finally he finds a big berry at the entrance to a cave, very far from his home. Mini Rabbit was not lost but now, definitely was. Suddenly he smelled something... cake! He followed the smell all the way home and gave the berry to Mother Rabbit. Now the cake was finished with a big berry on top. Does Mini Rabbit eat cake? No! He wants ice-cream. ActivitiesBut 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. John Bond is an illustrator, author and artist who lives and works in Worthing on the south coast, UK. Simply looking at the cover, we know NOT LOST (I can only hope the Mini Rabbit part will make this a series) is going to be lost despite what the title says. Chalk up another great use of the image telling us something obvious that the title is deliberately leading us astray on. 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.

You could look for berries just like Mini Rabbit. Maybe when you bring them home and wash them, you could add them to a cake too. Mini Rabbit’s blind enthusiasm for completing the cake takes him right past obvious solutions. I love that the berries are right below, but he’s off and the quest to find berries is on. You could copy the illustrator’s style, repeat the words exactly, or you could make it your own by changing the pictures and words. Hello everyone! This month I’m looking forward to sharing MINI RABBIT NOT LOST, by John Bond, and the wonderful journey that we’re taken on. Today I want to talk about how John Bond is able to take capture childlike enthusiasm and the amazing adventures it can take us on. Mini Rabbit Must Help and Mini Rabbit Come Home were published in 2020 and 2021 respectively and complete this trilogy of witty adventures.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. 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. Jaunty digital artwork by newcomer Bond introduces Mini Rabbit and Mother Rabbit as they set out to make a cake . . . Everybody knows someone like Mini Rabbit, who forges ahead with wild optimism, oblivious to the sinking likelihood of success, and Bond’s debut wittily explores this attribute alongside the mismatch between Mini Rabbit’s quotidian desire for pastry and his momentous, world-spanning trek.”— Publishers Weekly You might want to draw your cake then write your recipe, or the other way around. But your picture should be mouth-watering!

I have a tiny criticism which arises out of my personal preference as I would rather not have upper case words in the middle of sentences in children’s books. That said, in Mini Rabbit Come Home, they are used for emphasis, so I can see the opportunities for discussing writing technique with emergent writers was well as encouraging young readers, and the upper case words certainly add drama to the story when it is read aloud. In his haste, he doesn’t notice all the berries he passes along the way and is oblivious to the dangers lurking in the shadows. Finally admitting he is lost, the little rabbit wonders how he will ever find his way home. 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 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.”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. Throughout his varied, vibrant, textured art, Bond offers a plethora of visual jokes and intriguing details . . . repeated readings will likely enthusiastically be called for. . . as will cake.” — The Horn Book Once you have read something you should talk about it! Find someone to talk to about what happened in the story and maybe answer these questions: 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. The story actually starts off with Mini Rabbit and Mother Rabbit making a cake. Many of us can relate to our children or seeing children helping out an adult with baking (or building) something that normally adults do. You see their independence and confidence grow incredibly fast no matter how well they are actually doing.

With your eyes closed or a blind fold on, have someone put different foods or items in front of you and see if you can guess what they are just by smelling them. He now works independently as an illustrator and artist from his studio at Colonnade House, balancing commercial jobs with self initiated projects and running his online shop. John’s work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide and he has spoken at industry events such as Pictoplasma, Glug and Pecha Kucha. 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. You could find things that look like berries, draw and cut out some berry shapes, or scrunch up some bits of paper. Then ask someone to hide them for you to find.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. How often have we seen kids (or even us as adults) say “no thank you” to someone who has offered to help? Well, John Bond again captures this in how he reveals that others often see our plight before we do. This book seems to be about how sometimes we have to take that journey to figure it out for ourselves – as difficult as it may be.