One of the greatest children’s books of all time is the classic Pat the Bunny. This is without a doubt one of the best interactive children’s books ever written. Originally published in 1940, Dorothy Kunhardt’s book features a slice of life from protagonists Judy and Paul. The book follows them on their daily adventures through the mundane, as they invite the reader to join in on the fun. The fun includes such pleasures as playing hide and seek, touching Daddy’s scratchy face, and of course patting the bunny. This book also includes a book within the book. The reader is invited to read a book while Judy reads her book. This meta-book is aptly called Judy’s Book, and it is a gripping story of a day in the life of Bunny. Spoiler Alert: We find out in Judy’s Book that Bunny is sooooooooooo big. A surprise that I for one never saw coming, and I in turn wonder how big Judy and Paul are in relation to Bunny.
It really is a fun book, and for anyone who has a baby, is expecting a baby, or if you know someone having or expecting a baby, then this is the ideal first book for that baby. That baby will undoubtedly come to love Pat the Bunny just as over 6 million others have in the last 83 years.
Pat the Bunny has several successful follow-ups, sequels, and parodies to its name. Author Dorothy Kunhardt’s daughter Edith for whom the book was originally written went on to write a few follow-ups including Pat the Cat, Pat the Puppy, and Pat the Pony. She also published a sequel to Pat the Bunny called Daddy’s Scratchy Face. There is an interactive app, and DVD. There are toys, stuffed animals, and parodies that include Pat the Zombie and Pat the Husband.
All this got me to wondering how a Pat the Bunny story aimed at the children of climbers might look.
Immediately, we’d have to update the children’s names. Judy and Paul are fine names for the 1940’s, but here in the 2020’s names have evolved. Modern day climbers tend to pick names that end in the letter ‘i’ or ‘x’. ‘Judi’ might work, but there should be some connection to the earth, or nature, or a random ancient god, maybe a place, or craft beer . If you could find a nature-god’s name that ends in the letter ‘i’, that would be ideal. Most of the time you will find names that hit one of those requirements. Stone, Thalia, Argus, Ajax, Beatrix, La Croix, Boulder, IPA, Sierra, Kombucha, these are all possible replacement names for a climber’s Pat the Bunny. Besides updating the children’s names, some of the original features of the story should remain true to the unique intention of Kunhardt, but some features should be looked at in a different light.
With that, let’s take a look at what a Pat the Bunny story might look like if it were written for the children of climbers in the 2020’s.
I introduce to you an interactive day in the life of Meadow and Bodhi! (click through the images below)
Edith Kunhardt, has done a great job of keeping the franchise in our hearts, and it will continue to inspire for years to come. Perhaps the next logical step for Bunny is to venture off into other disciplines and activities. He seems to fit flawlessly into the life of the climber. I could imagine he’d work just as well in the life of most other sports, hobbies and professions as well. So, anyone from the Pat the Bunny franchise, if you’re reading and you ever want to work on a new direction for this lovable bunny, we are here to help!
- This book and post are intended only as parody.
- The original book can be found here.
thedihedral.com 
Loved the parody Pat the Bunny!
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Stephanie, thank you! I’m pumped that you liked it!
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I like that it starts slowly and builds to “shit in the woods”. Luckily, I had nothing to shoot out my nose at that page.
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The highlight of the book for sure! Golden Books should really think about the changes recommended here!
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Delightful!! 🐰
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Haha…thank you!
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So clever!
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Haha, thank you Wynne!
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Priceless!
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But just for the record, if Golden Books ask, then I’m sure we could come up with a price…haha!
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I love this so much!!!
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Just the kids’ names crack me up. So gneiss…
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I have no doubt there are going to be a few kids named Gneiss walking into schools over the next few years…haha!
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. They’ll take a lot of teasing, but it won’t break them.
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Haha…it was fun to think about and put together.
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Very clever and fun! I’ve never heard of Pat the Bunny before.
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Eilene, what? I am so happy I could introduce that book to you, even if it was a silly parody! I’m telling you, if you ever know someone having a baby that is the go to book!
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Reading, learning, and being entertained by literature during our early stages is one of the best highlights of childhood.
I loved clicking and reading through the “Pat The Bunny: A Climber’s Parody”. I loved the animated photos and I literally cracked up when the instructions written in the story described how to shit in the woods! 😂😹
Really great post honoring really great books.
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Awww, thank you misslatoya!!!
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It is also a fabulous idea to create a series dedicated to climber’s as your sample book displayed is very creative, humorous, and adorable.
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You are making my day and inspiring me to hit up some other children’s classics. I always like the one about the purple crayon?
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