Bad Habit Rabbit Review
Bad Habit Rabbit, written and illustrated by Carli Valentine, follows little bunny Fluffy Bum in his quest to become an official Easter bunny. The problem is…he has a bad habit of nibbling on the children’s Easter egg chocolates! In order to reach his goal, he must overcome his bad habit.
When Fluffy Bum visits his great-great-grandbunny, Floppy Ears VI (the most famous Easter bunny), he learns how his grandbunny overcame his own struggle of constantly tripping over his floppy ears. He helps Fluffy Bum to identify his triggers and make a plan to overcome them.
At the end of the book, readers find a guide with tips for combating a bad habit with lots of thought-provoking questions and practical suggestions.
My seven-year-old daughter enjoyed the story and, of course, laughed every time I read “Fluffy Bum.” She surprised me by spending a lot more time on the back page than I expected, studying each of the tips for combating a bad habit.
First, she was sure to inform me I should use the tips to curb my coffee, soda, and cheese habits, haha, and suggest some good habits with which I could replace them. Then she took some time to reflect on her own bad habits and make a plan all on her own to eat more vegetables every day!
I enjoyed that this book introduced several different methods for combating a bad habit, all explained within the context of a bunny in Easter bunny training. It took what would otherwise be a serious topic and made it more relatable and fun.
It also offered a very magical and imaginative peek into “Easter bunny training,” explaining how bunnies are selected for the program and mentioning classes like “Hop Away and Hide” and “Egg Hiding 101.” I appreciated that the bad habit in question was eating too many chocolates since it’s a common and relatable topic for children.
Overall, Bad Habit Rabbit is a fun and thought-provoking read that would be a welcome addition to any Easter basket or act as an imaginative conversation-starter year-round. You can find the book on Amazon and can follow author Carli Valentine on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Bad Habit Rabbit Author Interview
Want to learn more about author Carli Valentine? I did too! She was gracious enough to field a few questions and share what’s next for her!
Deb: Bad Habit Rabbit offers an important lesson about breaking bad habits! How did you land on the idea of using Easter bunny training to make your lesson so engaging and fun?
Carli: I think books are such an important tool! They can help approach topics in a fun, non-threatening way with our children.
I came up with this idea as I was sneaking some of my kid’s Easter chocolate actually, haha!! Nearly everyone has at least one habit that they would like to break, so I knew that this topic would be one that is relatable to many!
I also think we are all capable of doing incredibly hard things when a big dream or goal is involved and figured the ultimate goal of a little bunny would be to become an Official Easter Bunny! That is how I came up with my idea for Bad Habit Rabbit.
Deb: What do you think is the hardest part of breaking bad habits with young children?
Carli: The hardest part of breaking bad habits is the fact that it takes so much patience and practice to break them! We become so used to engaging in these habits that sometimes it’s hard to see the reason we want to stop them and the goal at the end of the finish line that we are working for.
Deb: This book offers tips that even adults could use! Do you have any bad or silly habits? Or any you’ve broken following these steps?
Carli: I have a lot of bad habits! I overindulge in coffee especially. I have also been known to nibble on a bit too many sweets from time to time.
An important thing to remember when breaking habits is that success hardly ever occurs in a straight line. It’s hard to break habits and oftentimes we make mistakes along the way but most importantly, we want to strive for improvement!
Deb: You’re the author and illustrator of a really beautiful collection of children’s books! Can you tell us a little about how you came to be a children’s book author/illustrator?
Carli: I have always loved reading and writing and most of my books are based on situations that my children and I have encountered together. I first decided to start writing and publishing children’s books one night while reading with my son, Lochlan, before bed.
We had developed a nightly routine of coming up with all of our crazy “Big Plans for Tomorrow.” This nightly conversation became one of my children’s books!
Deb: I noticed on your website that you offer free character-building lesson plans for teachers and parents! What have you found to be the key to character building with young children, either with your own sons or the children you work with during author visits?
Carli: Yes! This is a new resource that I am super excited to offer!
I believe that literacy is a very important part of character development. Kids need to be able to relate to situations and understand the reasons behind various goals!
Books can be such an amazing way to open up important conversations and activities to truly help shape our children to become the best version of themselves!
Deb: What’s next for Carli Valentine? Do you have any upcoming projects you’re really excited about?
Carli: I have so many upcoming books in the works and am loving working on each of them! I’m especially excited about my new series, “I Like Me and What I Can Be.”
This series explores various hurdles kids face and helps them to tackle them head-on and with confidence! This is especially geared toward children with ADHD and executive dysfunction!
Thanks so much for joining us today, Carli! If you’d like to check out all of Carli’s books, you can find them on her Amazon author page. Happy reading!
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