Freckles Find a Forever Home is a sweet, short children’s picture book about a bunny adopted by a loving family.
Freckles begins life on a bunny farm in Houston, “stuffed in cages” with many other bunnies. Then a young woman brings him home as a present to her mother for Mother’s Day. There he gets cuddles, treats, and meets many “tall people.”
As Freckles narrates the book, his personality shines through. Explaining how “rude” the other bunnies at the bunny farm are, how “they don’t take turns drinking or eating” or how they step all over him when he tries to nap, he asks, “What’s a bunny to do?” At his new family’s house, where everyone loves “to squeeze me, talk to me, and play with my floppy ears,” he comments: “It’s strange but I kind of like all of the attention.” He remarks that his new dad, who names him Freckles “because I looked like I have freckles all over,” is “very smart.”
The book is a nice reminder for young children about the need for rules. At Freckles’ new home, “When I have to go potty I’m supposed to hop in my cage and use the cage.” A new rule comes about when Freckles hops upstairs and his family cannot find him. “They put up something called a gate at the top of the stairs” and tell him ‘No bunnies upstairs.’” As Freckles says at the end: “Rules really aren’t hard to follow” and adds that following rules “shows love and respect.”
Jebb Impok’s sweet illustrations are engaging and effective. However, the story is light on conflict and lacks page-turning tension. As a simple rendition of what Freckles’ new family life is like, the text seems unnecessarily long and repetitive and could have easily been tightened to be more alluring to young readers.
Still, the illustrations are cute, and Freckles has a charming personality that young readers should appreciate.
Also available in hardcover.
