Bunny & Tree

(Hardback)

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Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Bunny and Tree first meet when the tree observes a ferocious wolf threatening the bunny and comes to its protection. From that moment on, there is a bond of trust between the two, which flowers not only into friendship, but amazingly, into a road trip adventure, when Bunny, who's looking for his rabbit friends, convinces Tree that it's time to uproot and see the world. Compelled by sympathy and a shared purpose, Bunny and Tree hit the road, becoming another tremendous and memorable picture book odd couple. Depicted in bright colors in a world of lavish skies and so much to see, Bunny and Tree share in wonder, adventure, misadventure, solidarity, and a sense of homecoming.

Reviews

AWARDS

A Wall Street Journal Best Childrens Book of 2023!
"An enchanting wordless tale of friendship Unfurling across 11 short sections, Balint Zsako's elegant, richly colored story-pictures are full of gratifying surprises for readers ages 7 and older... [Bunny and Tree] embark on a long-distance odyssey that ought to be impossible but, in this glorious and uplifting adventure, makes perfect practical and emotional sense."

* Wall Street Journal *

A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2023!
"Zsakos color-saturated tale told in nine wordless acts, plus a prologue and an epilogue, over 184 pages is epic in scope, yet grounded in real, intimate emotion. His vivid, changing watercolor skyscapes capture not only the passage of time, but also the emotional state of his titular characters, who together demonstrate growth, courage, sacrifice and the true meaning of family and community."

-- Christopher Lassen * 2023 NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated jury & NYPL childrens librarian *

Balint Zsako is a Publishers Weekly Spring 2023 Flying Start!
"Bunny & Tree (Enchanted Lion) is a wordless hand-painted picture book nearly 200 pages long that overflows with conceptual fireworks and deep emotion... The idea to tell a story in paintings grew out of nightly sessions with his young son Gus as he read him classic picture books. 'Even the most sophisticated books depend on language,' he says. 'Out of curiosity, I asked myself: Can I be as sophisticated telling stories with pictures only ... Now Zsako is waiting to see how children respond to Bunny & Tree. 'Im super curious,' he says. 'Its such a puzzle. Kids have the capacity and even a hunger for the unusual and unexpected...' As an artist, hes gratified by another benefit offered by the picture book. 'To make something that somebody can look at, at their own speed, in a place thats safe to themtheres something really appealing about that.'"

* Publishers Weekly, Flying Start *

A White Ravens Selection of 2024!
"This gorgeous wordless tome is a magical story of the friendship between a white rabbit and a majestic deciduous tree. Over 178 pages (!), the story of their joint adventure slowly unfolds in a succession of charming, single-page and double-page spreads... The colorful illustrations, in pen and acrylic inks, portray the eponymous figures placed against glowing backgrounds that exude a warm watercolor-y feel. The heroes communicate through body language, facial expressions (astonishing how the trees eyes and posture express emotions!), and a witty pictorial language. Balint Zsakos debut picture book is a true masterpiece!"

* The White Ravens, A Selection of International Children's and Youth Literature (Internationale Jugendbibliothek) *

A Marginalian Favorite Book of 2023!
"In every true friendship, each is the others savior, over and over. That is what Hungarian artist Balint Zsako explores with great subtlety and sweetness in Bunny & Treea strange and wondrous wordless picture book about a bunny saved from the archetypal hungry wolf by an unlikely saviora sentient treeand the unlikely friendship that blooms between them Against Zsakos exquisite watercolor skyscapes, the story ends with a lovely wordless meditation on friendship, community, and the unstoppable ongoingness of life. A tender wordless parable of friendship and the improbable saviors that make life livable."

-- Maria Popova * The Marginalian *

A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 2023 Blue Ribbon!
Organized into nine acts, this extended wordless picture book conveys the story of titular characters Bunny and Tree as the two embark on an epic journey across railroads, seas, and mountain peaks; Zsako's stunning, vibrant illustrations also feature speech bubbles containing visually symbolic messages to convey the friends' conversations in this philosophical tale.

* Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books *

A 100 Scope Notes Most Astonishingly Unconventional Childrens Book of 2023!
None other than unconventional books authority Lane Smith calls Bunny & Tree surreal, and I couldnt agree more. A wordless friendship between flora and fauna that unexpectedly becomes a road trip story Each page turn reveals surprising twists and turns in this fever dream of a book.

-- Travis Jonker * 100 Scope Notes (A School Library Journal Blog) *

A Bank Street College of Education Best Childrens Book of 2024!
Hand-painted scenes tell the heartwarming, wordless story of a rabbit separated from its friends, and the shape-shifting tree that becomes a loyal companion.

-- Children's Book Committee * Bank Street College of Education *

REVIEWS

"Zsako, an accomplished painter and collagist, turns every page into a stand-alone canvas; the brilliant gouache skies constantly change color, to communicate the passage of time or the flickering of a mood What started as a magnificent riff on Shel Silversteins The Giving Tree begins to evoke William Steigs masterpiece of reciprocal altruism, Amos & Boris Bunny & Tree is a wordless milestone, for its sheer lengthits a grandly capacious, generous book about grand and capacious generosity."

-- Jessica Winter * The New Yorker *
Presented in 11 short sections, Balint Zsakos elegant and stylized pictures tell a sweet, fantastical story of lost and found Bunny & Tree is an endearing and uplifting adventure, with emotional delicacy and artwork that brims with humor and possibility. It would be a lovely book to take to a shaded hammock on a sunny afternoon. * Wall Street Journal *
"Imaginative power and constant movement make this wordless debut picture book from artist Zsako a visual tour de force... Atmospheric backdrops create the sense of passing time as the journey hurtles onward. The page-turning tale mixes classic storytelling tropesthe ability to transform, a quest for lost loved ones, trees majestyinto a fanciful exploration of a world in which love leads to growth, and growth, in turn, to deeper love." * Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW *
"The feel of this narrative is classic, but the presentation makes it new, wondrous even, as it is entirely wordless. Color-soaked, full-page illustrations comprise the entire book, filling it with watercoloresque skies, dramatic silhouettes, and boundless imagination. It subtly tips its hat to Harold and the Purple Crayon and The Runaway Bunny in the ways the duo creatively surmounts obstacles, typically by Tree taking on different shapes suggested by Bunny: a sailboat when met with water, an airplane when confronted with mountains. Zsako also folds in visual cues that speak to natures life cycles, season changes, and symbiosis. Beyond that, the heartwarming friendship between Bunny and Tree is never once in doubt, and it will effortlessly gather readers into its embrace." * Booklist, STARRED REVIEW *
"This exquisite wordless book in nine acts visually conveys the story of a friendship between the titular characters Bunny and Tree... Sweeping full-bleed illustrations rely on color to guide the tenor of this tale, with consistent landscape scenes that have the fluid pigment layering of watercolor and the bold saturation of gouache. Zsako brilliantly utilizes speech bubbles containing visually symbolic messages to relay the conversations between Bunny and Tree. The denouement of an emotionally charged climax provides comfort and includes a surprising moment of humor relating to bunny droppings that still suits the storys philosophical tone. Readers with a romantic worldview and keen attentiveness to visual information will find deep solace in this picture book." * The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, RECOMMENDED WITH SPECIAL DISTINCTION *
Cooperation, regeneration, and reunification conveyed wordlessly in nine acts... Zsakos depictions of skies and weather are particularly mesmerizing... Zsako avoids anthropomorphism, communicating emotions through body language, not physiognomy. This handsomely bound, rich volume... will intrigue both kids and grown-ups. A lush tale thats worthy of repeat perusals. * Kirkus Reviews *
When a little white bunny befriends a stately tree, the two set off on a wild adventure to find other bunnies in the world in this dreamy wordless work of storytelling The watercolors are completely lovely and dreamy and I suspect you could have some interesting conversations with a kid about what precisely is happening in one scene or another (are those the same bunnies at the end as those at the beginning of the story). Very cool. -- Betsy Bird * A Fuse 8 Production (a School Library Journal blog) *
One of Hyperallergic's Seven Art Books to Start the New Year: "Moving... So tender and beautiful, this book will teach your little onesand remind youof the many rewards of just being a good, kind person." -- Hakim Bishara * Hyperallergic *
Balint Zsako, the Los Angeles-based Canadian artist, began his childrens book four years ago by setting a problem for himself. He had been reading storybooks to his three-year-old son and noticed how much they relied on written language to convey the narrative and how closely tied were the pictures to the words. As a challenge, I was curious to see if you could get the same nuance and subtlety in the narrative relationships without using words. The result of his problem-solving is Bunny & Tree, a 184-page story in which the eponymous characters establish a life-saving and generative closeness. The story also involves a brief introduction of a wolf and, more prominently, a family of eight additional rabbits. Except for a few punctuation

Author Bio

Balint Zsako was born in Budapest, Hungary to a textile artist mother and a sculptor father. His family immigrated to Canada when he was ten years old. At university, he studied photography, but for the last 20 years, he has been exhibiting paintings and collages. Take This Waltz, a film by Sarah Polley, features his drawings, and his illustrations have appeared in The New Yorker, Harpers and The New York Times Magazine. Bunny & Tree is his first picture book. He lives and works in Los Angeles.