I admit it. The first time I read Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems, I thought the book had received too my hype. Fun? Sure. But a modern children’s classic? I wasn’t convinced.

Fast forward a few years. I decided to re-visit Knuffle Bunny, and I also read Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity and Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion . Maybe I needed the full trilogy experience. Maybe it was the way my son asked me to read all the books again and again. Maybe it was the way the final Note to Trixie gave me all the feels. This time there was no doubt in my mind: the Knuffle Bunny books are indeed modern classics.

The first, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, introduces us to Trixie, her parents, and of course, her beloved Knuffle Bunny. Trixie’s toddler antics ensue when she accidentally leaves Knuffle Bunny in the laundromat, but lacks the verbal skills to tell her parents. The second, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, introduces us to Trixie’s classmate and fellow toy bunny lover, Sonja. Trixie and Sonja fight over who has the best bunny, but after an inadvertent switch leaves each with the wrong bunny, they have to come together in order to be reunited with their own Knuffle Bunnies. The third and final installment, Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, takes Trixie, her parents, and Knuffle Bunny on a trip to Holland. Trixie is excited to see her grandparents, but devastated when she realizes she left Knuffle Bunny on the airplane.

The Knuffle Bunny books are funny yet poignant. I intend to gift them to newly expecting parents, as I think they belong in that special class of children’s books that are equally meaningful to parents as they are entertaining to kids. I enthusiastically recommend these books for kids ages 3-6, though don’t be surprised if the older kids still laugh and the adults fight back nostalgic tears.