The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes: An Easter Classic

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes Book Review

International Women’s Day comes on March the 8^th, Easter is only a month away, and spring is around the corner. So, I have for you an old Easter tale published in 1939 that I hadn’t seen since childhood. The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, by DuBose Heyward, illustrated by Marjorie Flack, was dedicated to the author’s daughter Jenifer and has been in print since 1939.

country bunny original cover children's easter book — *Original Book Cover*

The Story of Cottontail

This is the story of Cottontail, a small brown rabbit who dreams of becoming one of the Five Easter Rabbits, “the kindest, and swiftest, and wisest bunnies in the whole wide world.” She is mocked by the big white rabbits who live in fine houses, and the Jackrabbits with long legs. When she grows to be a young lady, she has a husband and twenty-one Cottontail babies to take care of, upon which the fine big rabbits advise her to “take care of them and leave Easter eggs to great big men bunnies like us.”

Cottontail teaches her children how to work in pairs to keep the home, including art and music along with cooking a good dinner, washing clothes, sewing and mending, gardening, and seating mother bunny politely at the table (father bunny having disappeared from the story).

The Easter Bunny

When Cottontail learns that a new Easter Bunny is to be chosen at the Palace of Easter Eggs, she collects her twenty-one bunnies and goes to the palace. Old Grandfather Bunny observes all the swift and clever big bunnies but calls upon Little Cottontail Mother with her row of children to question her about her family. Impressed by her wisdom and kindness in managing her family and home, as well as swiftness and cleverness, he invites her to come to the Palace on Easter Eve, “and you shall be my fifth Easter Bunny.”

the country bunny and the little gold shoes children's book cover — *75th Anniversary Edition*

She and the other four bunnies work through the night delivering baskets to all the children, and Old Grandfather Bunny gives a special task to Mother Cottontail – delivery to a sick boy high in the mountains. As she reaches the very highest mountain, she slips and slides down, injuring her leg. She tries to get up, and Old Grandfather Bunny appears before her and gives her a pair of golden shoes. Her leg is healed, and she can fly! She has become the Gold Shoe Easter Bunny. When she reaches home with an Easter basket for her own bunnies, she finds her home in order and her bunnies fast asleep in bed.

Illustrations

The Country Bunny’s artwork is charming and old-fashioned. I remember poring over the illustrations and examining the detailed and colorful clothes, the faces of the different bunnies and their attitudes, and the ruffly bassinet with twenty-one bunnies.

the country bunny and the little gold shoes children's book illustration

Gentle Lessons

Accompanied by Marjorie Flack’s charming personal illustrations are the lessons of personal responsibility, setting goals, the value of hard work and doing one’s best. This stay-at-home bunny mother was able to accomplish great things for her home and her children, and achieve her personal goal herself. Heyward includes depictions on gender bias and racial inequity in the book, subtle but unmistakable. Though it was written over 80 years ago, it is as relevant, as depictive of current culture as ever. It has gentle lessons that are shown, not told, allowing children to absorb the wisdom for themselves. I urge parents not to explain and explicate for their listeners. A good story speaks for itself, and you can trust your child to hear it and take it in.

Other Nostalgic Easter Books

This is one of the few Easter books I remember from my childhood, along with Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit books, or perhaps Little Golden Books about rabbits, chickens and ducks. We had Margaret Wise Brown’s The Golden Egg Book and Home for a Bunny, but I remember more about Easter dresses and bonnets, Easter egg hunts, usually outdoors, and a chocolate bunny in a pretty basket tied up with fancy ribbon.