Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny

Bunjitsu Bunny #1

by John Himmelman

AR Test, Strong Female

At A Glance

Interest Level

6+

Entertainment
Score

Reading Level
3.1

Number of Pages
144

Introducing Isabel, a.k.a. Bunjitsu Bunny! She is the BEST bunjitsu artist in her school. She can throw farther, kick higher, and hit harder than anyone else! But she never hurts another creature . . . unless she has to. Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny introduces Isabel and has twelve short stories, each with a different, exciting adventure. Isabel learns lessons from bunjitsu school, pirates, and even a butterfly.

Much like Aesop Fables, each tale is simple, yet exciting. Every conflict is resolved in a peaceful manner (except one) and leaves readers with a moral, such as “Practice my art until I am good at it. And then keep practicing, study the world, and find what makes me laugh, and laugh loudly. And often.”

Each clever story is brief and ranges from 6-10 pages long. The story uses simple vocabulary, contains 1-5 sentences per page, and has simple red-and-black illustrations. The combination of illustrations and short sentences makes Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny a good option for those just transitioning to chapter books or to read aloud.

Each story can stand alone, and readers will want to go back to reread their favorites. Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny is about a fierce girl who proves that a person or a bunny doesn’t have to use their muscle to solve a problem.

Sexual Content

None

Violence

Pirates take Isabel prisoner. “The pirates grabbed Isabel and pulled her into their boat. Isabel grabbed the arm of the nearest pirate and bunjitsu flipped him over her shoulder. He landed in her empty boat.” Isabel uses bunjitsu to get all four pirates onto her boat. The boat that the pirates are on begins to sink.
Jackrabbit challenges Bunjitsu Bunny to a fight. He says, “I will hit her so hard, she will fly to the moon.” The fight never happens because Isabel doesn’t show up.
A bear tells Isabel that he practices bearjitsu and “kicked Isabel so hard she slid across the field. . . He grabbed Isabel’s ears and flipped her to the ground. . . He twisted Isabel into a pretzel.” When the bear asks Isabel if she wants to give up, “Isabel kicked Bear so hard he shot straight into the cloud. When he landed, she flipped him to the ground so hard the earth shook! Then she grabbed his giant paw and twisted it behind his back.”

Drugs and Alcohol