20+ Favorite Bunny Stories that You Never Grow Out Of

I have always loved bunny stories. There is something about those furry little creatures that just makes you wonder: "What do they really think?" They seem so innocent, yet they are as crafty and unstoppable in their garden invasions as the Oceans Eleven crew.

Bunny stories make perfect children's stories primarily for the merch. There is nothing like reading about a sweet bunny while holding a stuffed animal friend. But do we really ever grow out of that fondness for bunnies? I'd like to think that no matter how old you get, there's always a bunny story you can enjoy. Or maybe you need to revisit some of your old favorites to restore the magic of igniting the imagination that bunnies bring.

Children's Picture Bunny Stories

1. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Published by HarperCollins on November 8, 2016
Genres: Picture Books, Classics, Fiction, Poetry, Animals
Pages: 32
Narrator: Judith Ivey, Peter Capaldi, Susan Denaker
Format: Board Book, Hardcover, Paperback
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In the great green room a little bunny gets ready for bed. As he settles in to sleep, he says goodnight to everything he sees. I love the poetry and rhythm of this sweet little bedtime story. Little bunny provides a soothing bedtime routine for little readers. The illustrations and the green room provide a beautiful place to look around, observe, and learn from bunny a playful way to get to sleep.

2. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Published by Candlewick Press on October 14, 2014
Genres: Young Adult, Bedtime & Dreams, Animals, Rabbits, Classics
Pages: 40
Format: Board Book, Hardcover, Paperback
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As Big Nutbrown Hare prepares Little Nutbrown Hare for bed, a sweet question sparks a cute competition to see who loves the other more. This book is just too sweet. From the illustrations to the sentiment, both author and illustrator capture a tender relationship between parent and child. I love seeing how Little Nutbrown Hare's mind works at figuring out a tangible way to express the extent of his love.

3. I am a Bunny by Richard Scarry

I Am a Bunny by Ole Risom
Published by Random House Children's Books on January 13, 2004
Genres: Young Adult, Seasons, Science & Nature, General, Animals, Rabbits
Pages: 26
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Nicholas the bunny takes you through his favorite parts of each season in this sweet little book. Richard Scarry was one of my favorite illustrators as a child, and this book is just as sweet. His beautiful images bring this simple story to life and provide great opportunities to explore the seasons with this curious bunny.

4. Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
Published by Golden Book on 1990
Genres: Animals, Picture Books, Rabbits
Pages: 20
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I love interactive books, and Pat the Bunny is a classic touch and feel book that generations of readers have loved. Readers enjoy a furry bunny to pat, a piece of cloth covering Paul's face to lift up and play "peek-a-boo", a mirror to look in, "Daddy's scratchy face" to touch, a hole cut out in the middle of "Mummy's ring" to stick a finger through, along with a short little book-within-the-book for Judy to read. It is a sweet glimpse into days past as it was first published in 1940! It makes a great baby gift!

5. Tales from Beatrix Potter

Tales from Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter
Published by Warne on 1986
Pages: 124
Format: Hardcover
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The mind of Beatrix Potter is a beautiful thing. This edition contains four of her stories: The Tailor of Gloucester featuring helpful sewing mice; The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, a clothes-washing hedgehog; The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, who has a close call with death due to believing a sly fox; and The Tale of The Flopsy Bunnies, Benjamin Bunny and his wife Flopsy's adventures with their baby bunnies. Potter's creatures surprise you with the turn of each page, and I was shocked and surprised with some of the unexpected endings!

6. Peter Hops Aboard by Beatrix Potter

Peter Hops Aboard by Beatrix Potter
Published by Penguin Young Readers Group on May 5, 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Animals, Rabbits
Pages: 16
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In Peter Hops Aboard, little Peter Rabbit enjoys a picnic with his family and thinks it would be fun to create a raft all by himself. Although his sisters offer help, he sets out to do it all alone, and finds it is not as easy as he thought. I love the illustrations and charm of this sweet little Peter Rabbit tale. This story has a sweeter ending with forgiveness and reconciliation.

If you'd enjoy learning more about Beatrix Potter, you might enjoy Miss Potter, as it chronicles her journey in bringing these stories to life. I particularly enjoyed watching the illustrations in this movie come to life!

Bunny Stories to Read Aloud

7. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
Published by Random House Children's Books on January 28, 2014
Genres: Young Adult, Classics, Animals, Rabbits
Pages: 48
Format: Hardcover
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A deluxe gift edition of one of the most beloved children's stories—a gorgeous, collectable keepsake.
With the original story and artwork from the 1922 classic, and a beautiful cloth cover with stamped gold accents, this collectable edition of The Velveteen Rabbit is the ideal gift for baby showers, birthdays, weddings, and holidays throughout the year. Includes a book plate for personalizing your gift for a special occasion. At first a brand-new toy, now a threadbare and discarded nursery relic, the velveteen rabbit is saved from peril by a magic fairy who whisks him away to the idyllic world of Rabbitland. There, he becomes "Real," a cherished childhood companion who will be loved for eternity. Treasured for generations, here is a timeless tale about the magic of boundless love.

8. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Published by Candlewick Press on February 14, 2006
Genres: Young Adult, Fairy Tales & Folklore, General, Action & Adventure
Pages: 228
Length: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Narrator: Judith Ivey
Format: Audiobook, eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
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A timeless tale by the incomparable Kate DiCamillo, complete with stunning full-color plates by Bagram Ibatoulline, honors the enduring power of love.
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.
And then, one day, he was lost.
Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

9. Bunnicula by James Howe

Bunnicula by Deborah Howe, James Howe
Published by Avon on 2006-08
Pages: 98
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It took me a while to even crack open this book because I definitely misjudged this book by its cover. When Harold the dog and Chester the cat meet the newest pet in the household, a red-eyed rabbit named Bunnicula, they make the same mistake. While Harold has a taste for books, Chester has a taste for reading, and his favorite stories are thrillers. With the adventures of Edgar Allen Poe rolling around in his mind, it doesn't take long for this crazy cat to get some harebrained ideas about the veggie-loving hare.

Written from Harold's perspective, this book is so funny and so smart. I'm sorry I didn't introduce my kids to these books sooner.

There are six other books in the Bunnicula and Friends series that continue in the adventures of Harold and Chester. They don't all feature Bunnicula as much as the first, but if you're enjoying the humor, you might like to read more!

10. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire by Mrs. Bunny

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny--Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath
Published by Random House Children's Books on February 14, 2012
Genres: Young Adult, Animals, Rabbits, Family, Parents, Mysteries & Detective Stories
Pages: 256
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When I picked up this cute little bunny book, I was not expecting humans—especially not an anti-homeschooling Canadian fifth-grader with anti-colonialist hippie parents. When the empty-nesting, hutch-hunting bunnies enter the scene, their anthropomorphic antics shouldn't have surprised me, but they just didn't seem to fit. The writer seems charmed with shock value random details, but overall the story is cute. If you enjoy a little silly, this might be the perfect bunny book for you!

11. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

It's been four years since the Penderwick girls have lost their mom, and their dad is treating them to a summer holiday on the grounds of the Arundel estate. Rabbits enter the story as a sweet way to draw out the youngest sister, Batty. She doesn't talk much, but she does love the ground's keepers bunnies. Adventures and wholesome fun fill the pages of this modern classic that reads like Little Women. It's not as obvious of a rabbit story, but it is a worthy read!

12. Little Pilgrim's Progress with Illustrations by Joe Sutphin

Helen Taylor's adaptation of John Bunyan's classic Pilgrim's Progress has been a family favorite for years. She reimagines the rich text in a way that captured my kids' hearts when they were little. When I heard that Joe Sutphin was collaborating with Moody Publishers to provide an illustrated version of one of our favorite books, and bunnies were involved?! We could not wait!

His beautiful illustrations take a simple and elegant story and breathe fresh life for a new generation. This book is absolutely stunning. If you only owned one rabbit book, this would be my recommendation.

The Green Ember Series

Our first true head-over-heels bunny story love belongs to the Green Ember series. We read these books when my youngest was 11, and my kids were captivated! Beware: this is not a safe bunny tale. The danger is real, the sakes are high, and young bunnies must make difficult decisions that carry great consequences. Rabbits with swords. If you haven't read these, get started!

There are four main books in the series and then shorter stories that fill in the gaps of the history of the world S.D. Smith has built with his bunnies. They're all free to read with Kindle Unlimited! This is the author's suggested order:

13. The Green Ember

14. The Black Star of Kingston

15. Ember Falls

16. The Last Archer

17. Ember Rising

18. The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner

19. The First Fowler

20. Ember's End

21. The Archer's Cup

22. Prince Lander & the Dragon War

Classic Literature Featuring Bunnies

The proof that you can never grow too old for bunny stories is found in literature that has stood the test of time and that adults love!

23. Alice in Wonderland

The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll
Published by National Geographic Books on October 6, 2015
Genres: Fiction, Classics
Pages: 364
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Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland has been a favorite of mine, and a classic for years. But in taking a class devoted to studying the book, I was introduced to The 150th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, an incredible copy edited and annotated by Martin Gardner.

If you’ve never owned an annotated edition of a classic book, now might be the time to remedy that. Gardner’s edition of the book not only contains the original, memorable illustrations done by Carroll’s friend John Tenniel, but also full-color art pieces created by fans and lovers of the story.

But the true highlight of the book are Gardner’s annotations. Much like Carroll himself, Gardner leaves treasure troves of interesting facts and stories that can be found nowhere else. It is such a joy to read them, too, since Gardner often writes about whatever seems interesting, and does not judge on practicality. From stories about Carroll, to fascinating philosophical dilemmas, to the translation process of Carroll’s nonsense poem, Jabberwocky, every note is worth the read.

This edition leaves plenty of space in the margins, practically begging you to annotate along with Gardner as he explores the wonderful depths that Carroll’s literature has to offer. Inspiration is abundant in this book, and will leave you feeling excited to dig deep into whatever fascinating thing catches your eye.

24. Harvey

25. Watership Down

Now that I'm older, I'm reading it again and I'm fascinated. I love how Adams takes the innocence of bunnies and places his rabbits in unfamiliar social situations where truth is hidden and danger lurks around every corner. It's easy to want to just accept things as they are in the name of peace and comfort, but it is hard to step out of that comfort in pursuit of true peace.

Joe Sutphin is almost finished with his graphic novel adaptation of this classic work. You can see a preview of his work on instagram! I will be adding this work of art to my library when it comes out in October 2023!

So what bunny books did I miss? I can tell you after rounding up all of these great stories and reading through most of them again, I have only increased my love of a good rabbit tale!