Monday, May 28, 2007

Have rabbit, will travel: 'Buns' makes cross-country trips with author




Children at Hachar Elementary and Ryan Elementary schools played hosts to a furry dignitary Friday when a rabbit-author stopped by to showcase its cross-country travels.

Author David Love has been travelling to schools with "Buns" the rabbit ever since writing "Buns Travels Across America" in 1992.
The Buns that visited Laredo Friday is a descendent of the original bunny, and held the kids in rapt attention as Love showed slides from the book that depicted Buns mugging in shots from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Love, who knows his audience and knows how to tell a story, was attending film school at Southern Methodist University when the idea for the book was born.
His pet rabbit would follow him around the house, eventually following him into the car. Soon Love was headed to Boston on a car trip, taking the original Buns in tow.
The book is an elementary geography lesson, Love said, with bits of history thrown in.
"Talking with educators, they would say these kids aren't really getting interested in geography," Love said.
By showing the lovable rabbit in memorable pictures, instead of less-interesting textbook readings, the lessons stick with the children and become imprinted in their brains.
Two of the most memorable pictures in the book show Buns in precarious poses. In one, the rabbit peers over a rail at a rainbow over Niagra Falls, and the other shows Buns checking out an alligator in Louisiana.
They didn't have PhotoShop software when the book came out, though, and Love said none of the photos were manipulated.
Thanks to rabbit-friendly customs laws, Buns is currently working on a sequel tracing famous places in Europe, Love said. He's already snapped shots at the Kremlin and in Milan, and he has his eye on the Coliseum in Rome.
The rabbit visited several South Texas schools over the week and made both stops at Ryan Elementary and D.D. Hachar Elementary on Friday.
(Clay Reddick may be reached at (956) 728-2582 or by e-mail at clay@lmtonline.com)




©Laredo Morning Times 2007