I chose "Jeremy--The Tale of an Honest Bunny" by Jan Karon as my ninth book in the Young Readers Challenge.
This book is a lovely book. The dust jacket is vintage looking with a window to the hard-cover. The hard-cover is a very nice on it's own. The book even has a sewn in bookmark. The illustrations, by Teri Weidner, are exquisite -- reminiscent of illustrations in books of the late 40's and early 50'. It reminds me of the books that I used to get from Joske's Department Store and Ann and Tom Brown's Toy Store.
The story is sweet, albeit predictable. Jeremy is a cloth bunny created In England for a recipient in America. He is alive and talks, a lot like Pinocchio. He doesn't want to be shipped in a box and prefers to "deliver himself" to Candace, his new person in his new home. Expectantly, Jeremy has many adventures and difficulties on his road to America. He resolves his difficulties by being "an honest" bunny which is what he promised Lydia, his creator. The object lesson is honesty and staying focused on the goal.
I would recommend this as a read-to-me book for 5-6 yr. olds. It is conveniently divided into short chapters that work well as a bedtime story to be continued the next night -- about a week's worth. An eight year old would enjoy reading alone. I think this one would top out at about 9 yrs.
It is a good book. A lovely addition to a child's library and a classic that can grow up with a child for a while.
