I Love You, Bunny
Alina Surnaite
Lincoln Children’s Books

A warm glow emanates from the cover of this debut picture book and stays with you all the way through the story.

Mum has just tucked Suzy up for the night with her comfort Bunny. Suzy however is concerned about the possibility of monsters coming while she sleeps.

Mum assures her that Bunny will chase off any monsters and keep her safe.

Bunny does his job as lookout through the night until dawn breaks and that is when something dark comes creeping into Suzy’s room reaching out for her sleeping form, or so it seems, and then disappearing again.

That’s when Suzy stirs and realises that Bunny is no longer by her side: he’s completely disappeared.

Putting on a show of bravery she gets up to search for her toy but there comes a sound from behind her. She turns and sees …

“A MONSTER!”

Then dashing in fright from her room the child runs straight into the waiting arms of her mother. “A monster ate Bunny!” she sobs.
Shortly after the cause of Bunny’s disappearance is revealed, Suzy is reassured that there is no monster after all

and returns to bed for a little while longer.

Many young children have phases of being scared in the dark, particularly those with powerful imaginations.
Alina Surnaite uses pastels to create her soft focus, crepuscular scenes of familiar domesticity, casting a mood of gentle reassurance, which should help assuage such nocturnal fears.