Brave New Bunny: A Story Based on Plato's Cave by Philip Bunting

Four bunnies sit comfortably in their den, watching shadows on the wall and eating popcorn. But, one day, one of the bunnies becomes determined to figure out how the shadows get made. This bunny finds a small glow and digs to follow the light up to the surface where they discover a vibrant world. When this bunny goes back to their friends, they try to tell them of the world above. But the other three bunnies insist that the shadows are all that's real.

However, another bunny sees that the first bunny feeling dejected for not being believed, the second bunny goes the same route as the first. When this second bunny returns, they confirm everything the first bunny said, but also confirm that the shadows they see are real--they just are simply not the whole story.

The four bunnies then venture together to the world above and see so much more of the world.

Philip Bunting cleverly tells Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave" in an easy-to-understand way. Additionally, he adds some notes at the end of the picture book to elaborate on big questions to think about as well as who Plato was. This is helpful for both young children being read to and any adult reading aloud who either doesn't remember enough about "The Allegory of the Cave" (me) or has never heard of it. Finally, Bunting's suggestions for how to, when confronted with new information, take a pause and really take it in before automatically rejecting it.

I also rather enjoyed Bunting's artwork. The bunnies were sweet and clearly showed emotion on their faces, but they weren't anthropomorphized to the point of hitting that uncanny valley. Additionally, how light ripples out in Bunting's layered artwork is just immensely charming.

If you'd like to give children a brief introduction to one of Plato's most famous pieces, or simply want to encourage children to always look for the big picture, Brave New Bunny: A Story Based on Plato's Cave by Philip Bunting is an excellent picture book to read.

Brave New Bunny: A Story Based on Plato's Cave by Philip Bunting, Happy Yak