posted on 28 Aug 2016

Little Rabbit Foo Foo by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Arthur Robins

I have read this hilarious cautionary tale many times when I was a teacher of young children and found that it worked its magic every time. Even when some of the youngsters were restless, tired and generally uncooperative, they would give in and listen to this one before resuming their disruptive behaviour. Perhaps the anarchic eponymous character has a particular appeal for those who just do not want to be told what to do? But it also appeals to the well behaved children because he certainly gets his punishment for his outrageous behaviour – in my experience, all children seem to have a strong sense of justice.

Michael Rosen is a prolific author and is rightly renowned for his rhythmic prose and comic poetry. Going on a Bear Hunt illustrated by Helen Oxenbury is probably his most popular and well loved picture book for younger children. But this one is definitely my all time favourite and it is partly because of the wonderful witty illustrations by Arthur Robins. Little Rabbit Foo Foo stares out cheekily from the front cover as he sits astride his red motorbike wielding a large red mallet and this immediately promises tremendous naughtiness within.

I love the initial double page spread that shows a rather unconventional group of forest creatures including field mice, worms, goblins and tigers enjoying a very peaceful time and going about their business. On the turn of the next page we are reminded that a certain someone is likely to cause havoc. And then the lively story begins with him racing through the forest on his motorbike determined to scoop up the field mice with a large net. His expression is fixed and ever so slightly unhinged as he zooms around scattering all before him. His hunting tactic then involves ' bopping them on the head' with the red mallet. 

After this terribly dangerous and very cruel behaviour the ' Good Fairy' floats down from the sky above holding onto a large black umbrella and severely tells him off. She is granny-like in appearance and dressed in old fashioned Mother Goose(ish) style and carries a bulky bag which presumably includes her magic equipment. She explains that she does not like his 'attitude', gives him the chance to reform and darkly threatens that otherwise 'I will turn you into a Gooney'. But Little Rabbit Foo Foo couldn't care less and repeats exactly the same scooping and bopping procedure with the worms in the forest. So the rhythm of the story is firmly established with pretty much the same phrases from the Good Fairy as the pattern continues with the worms, tigers and the goblins all targeted by Little Rabbit Foo Foo, because he is determined to carry on enjoying himself. Maybe the threat from the Good Fairy just doesn't scare him because after all, what on earth is a Gooney? It doesn't sound so bad and it's probably an empty threat anyway.

Even the most challenging children that I worked with were highly impressed with all this repeated disobedience and couldn't quite believe that he kept getting away with it. The only adult figure in the story seems to be extraordinarily reasonable, because surely he should be marched off somewhere and put in detention, not allowed to have 'golden time' or at least a message should be sent to his parents? Or is he a naughty teenager or an adult and not a child at all? It is exactly the same response that children often have to the character of Toad in Wind in the Willows because he is similarly indulged for most of the time despite his anti social and selfish antics and even when he gets sent to prison, he soon escapes. 

The surprise in this much shorter story is that the Good Fairy does indeed turn him into a Gooney on the last page and he looks extremely unhappy about it. But after all he was explicitly warned and perhaps the spell won't last for very long ( some children do need that reassurance). 

I was thrilled to hear that my not quite two year old granddaughter currently loves this funny story and wants it read over and over again. She is rapt with attention every time and joins in with and anticipates quite a lot of the repetitive text. My daughter has slight misgivings that she might start bopping people and things on the head in imitation but I know she won't because she doesn't want to be turned into a Gooney either. 

 

Karen Argent

 

August 2016