Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny

September 1, 2014
Himmelman (Duck to the Rescue) draws on his own experience as a martial arts instructor in 12 brief tales about a rabbit named Isabel, “the best bunjitsu artist in her school.” Nearly every story concludes with a quiet lesson, and while Isabel certainly has opportunities to show off her skills, many vignettes underscore that “bunjitsu is not just about kicking, hitting, and throwing,” as Isabel explains. “It is about finding ways NOT to kick, hit, and throw.” Thus, when Isabel is challenged to a fight by the large, menacing Jackrabbit, her avoidance of the fight displays not cowardice but smarts. “So you lost on purpose?” asks Isabel’s friend Max. “No, I did not lose,” she replies. “He did not hit me.” And when Isabel attempts to become “a true bunjitsu artist” by defeating an angry wave, she realizes that gently riding the wave into shore can be more powerful than even a “spinning bunjitsu tornado fist.” Spare ink illustrations appear on every page, skillfully balancing humor, bunjitsu action, and understated grace. Like Isabel herself, this one’s a winner in unexpected ways. Ages 6–8.

August 1, 2014
Martial arts high jinks with Bunjitsu Bunny. Isabel can hit harder, kick higher and throw classmates farther than anyone else. That's why they call her Bunjitsu Bunny. Some of her classmates at Teacher's bunjitsu school are scared of her. Isabel tries not to hurt other creatures, though. She says, "Bunjitsu is not just about kicking, hitting, and throwing....It is about finding ways to NOT kick, hit, and throw." When Bunjitsu Bunny and her fellow students are confronted with a locked classroom door, her classmates try using every bunjitsu move to break it down. They only hurt themselves. Isabel gets in through the window and lets her classmates in through the door. When Jackrabbit challenges her to a fight, she avoids violence (and losing) by not fighting him. But when she has scary nightmares, she can't sleep. Teacher asks where those nightmares live, and Isabel points to her head. Teacher says the nightmares should be scared living in Bunjitsu Bunny's head; that does the trick. Himmelman simplifies his picture-book style with calligraphic black lines and delivers a series of Zen lessons touched with gentle humor. Some of the tales will require discussion, but all are easy reading. Nonviolence (mostly), the bunjitsu way. (Fantasy. 6-9)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-With very simple black-and-white illustrations, Himmelman tells delightful short stories about a little bunny named Isabel, who is mighty in spirit. Isabel practices a martial art called Bunjitsu, and each story imparts a lesson from her experiences in fighting or not fighting. In one story, Isabel attempts to fight an angry wave, and when she realizes she will continue to get thrown on the beach, she decides to enjoy being carried away instead. All the other tales are similar in mood and lesson, taking a slightly zen approach to life. The tales are reminiscent of Arnold Lobel's "Frog and Toad" stories (HarperCollins) or Jon J. Muth's ever-popular Zen Shorts (Scholastic 2005), but they are stylistically very different, with line drawings that give very little detail and lots of negative space, leaving most of the scenes up to the imagination of readers. The writing style makes for a good read-aloud, and the sentence structure and complexity are straightforward enough for advanced readers in primary grades to try it. Recommended for general purchase.-Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Grades 1-3 A prolific author and illustrator as well as an active practitioner of martial arts, Himmelman combines these interests in his latest book, a series starter starring a bunny named Isabel. Isabel is introduced as the best bunjitsu artist in her school, an expert in kicking, hitting, and throwing, who can also handle all of the paradoxes that Teacher sends her way. Isabel's martial arts aren't confined to the classroom, eithershe also faces down some piratical foxes and turns an angry wave into one that lifts her up and transports her. There are some peculiar episodes in this early-reading book, including one in which Bear walks up to Isabel, engages in conversation, and then kicks Isabel across a field, flips her to the ground, and twists her into a pretzel. Isabel demonstrates how she doesn't give up by kicking, flipping, and twisting Bear. The rest of the book is less cartoonish and violent in its exploration of Zenlike koans, and Himmelman's black-and-white line drawings nicely convey Isabel's swift and deft movements. We are ready for the sequel, Teacher.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 1, 2015
Young rabbit Isabel is known as Bunjitsu Bunny for her proficiency in martial arts class. Himmelman's thirteen short, generously illustrated chapters relate Isabel's adventures as she demonstrates that "bunjitsu is not just about kicking, hitting, and throwing...It is about finding ways NOT to kick, hit, and throw." Each droll tale contains a lesson -- about avoiding fights (with tough jackrabbits), outsmarting bullies (especially fox pirates), dealing with nightmares (of scary monsters), never giving up (when being "bearjitsu"-ed), and more. Cleverly wrapped in an entertaining package, the zen-type morals are edifying but not preachy and serve to genuinely enrich the stories. Solid brush-like strokes in black give the drawings the clean look of block prints, the only added tint a soft red used mainly to set Isabel apart from her classmates, her flame-colored martial-arts uniform aptly matching her zippy personality. jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)