The Year of the Stunt Bunny?

I know that it’s usually all about the squirrels here at The Nut Press but today sees the start of Chinese New Year, heralding in the Year of the Rabbit. So, I think it’s only right and proper that I feature a very special little grey bunny rabbit, Harriet Houdini, especially as her second book Stunt Bunny: Tour Troubles is out today.

I bought the first Harriet Houdini book for my niece and, while I’m not in the target reader age group (5-8 years) and haven’t been for *cough* years now, I absolutely love Harriet. She’s a spirited little bunny with some serious attitude. (I wonder who that reminds me of?) Harriet knows what she wants and that she’s so much more than a humble family pet and, for me, part of the fun in reading her books is imagining what pets are thinking and plotting while they look at you with those big innocent eyes.

In her first book, Stunt Bunny: Showbiz Sensation, Harriet starts from humble beginnings as the new Wilson family pet when daughter Susie asks for a birthday bunny and Dad, or Evil Edward as Harriet nicknames him, brings her home from Noah’s Ark pet shop. She doesn’t start life as Harriet Houdini either but you’ll have to read the book to find out what she was going to be called and why that changed. Harriet has plenty of adventures scampering about her new home but her life really starts to take off after she performs a few backflips at the village fete. These get the attention of the host of hit TV show, Superpets, as well as attracting some unwelcome attention from a more sinister admirer. Can Harriet secure a slot as a regular on the show, while dealing with sabotage attempts and a bunnynap? You’ll have to read the book to find out…

But the title of Harriet’s latest book, Stunt Bunny: Tour Troubles, which is out today, should give you a clue as to how things turn out. It’s the school holidays and Harriet Houdini, Stunt Bunny extraordinaire, is going on the road with the Superpets‘ live tour and a cast that includes a rival still holding a grudge. Even though she has Susie and Evil Edward along with her for company, Harriet has to juggle being away from home, life on the road, dealing with the paparazzi and the pressure of live shows with more complicated routines, while also fending off attempts to end her run as the star of the show.

Both books are terrific reads: fresh, lively and fun to read with your kids or for them to read on their own. Harriet is totally the star she thinks she is. Her voice is brilliant and you will fall for the bunny immediately. She is cheeky, confident and, while certainly a young rabbit with attitude, she’s also very cute, friendly and fond of her family and friends. The descriptions of family life are really well done, and there’s a great family dynamic. They’re a lovely way for kids to read about keeping pets, as well as what their pets could be thinking and feeling! It may even ensure they take better care of their own pets. I can’t recommend the Stunt Bunny books enough as a fun and entertaining read. If you don’t already know her, why not make 2011 the Year of the Stunt Bunny?

Stunt Bunny: Showbiz Sensation and Stunt Bunny: Tour Troubles are both published by Simon & Schuster. To find out more, you can check out Tamsyn Murray’s Website or Follow Tamsyn on Twitter and/or even Follow Harriet Houdini herself on Twitter.

For those of you worried about how Squizzey feels about a bunny being given blog space here (even one as cute as Harriet Houdini), there’s no need. If you pop on over to the SquizzBlog, you’ll see that he’s more than fine with it.