Nancy Churnin:
Beloved bunny shares love of reading
08:08 AM CDT on Wednesday, April 13, 2005
There's a Runaway Bunny and Pat the Bunny and that rather naughty bunny named Peter who sneaks into other people's gardens and eats so much he gets a stomachache. But the bunny hopping to the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library is none other than Miffy, the bunny created 50 years ago by Dutch artist and author Dick Bruna.
Miffy is the star of "Miffy at the Library," a free, interactive art and book experience aimed at preschoolers Friday through May 22. Dallas is one of the stops on a 10-city tour.
"I still like it so very much," says Mr. Bruna, 77, from his studio in Utrecht, Netherlands, where he bikes to work every day. "I always saw Miffy as my little daughter, and now I see her as my little granddaughter."
The Miffy series ( www.miffy.com ) has sold nearly 85 million copies of more than 110 titles, generating $2 billion annually in merchandise sales worldwide. Miffy is still relatively new to American audiences, but that has begun to change with the new Miffy and Friends stop-motion animated series, which airs daily at 10:30 a.m. on NOGGIN ( www.noggin.com ) on DirecTV's channel 298 and Comcast Cable's channel 120.
Mr. Bruna was inspired to draw Miffy during a 1955 family vacation. A rabbit near their seaside house captured his 2-year-old son's attention. Mr. Bruna started telling his son stories about the rabbit and added other characters including Poppy Pig, modeled on one of the children's teachers. Mischievous Boris Bear, another character, takes after Mr. Bruna.
The stories in the Miffy series were inspired by his three children and five grandkids. Most are light and simple - about school, friendship and the seasons. But some touch deeply emotional areas. There's Miffy and the New Baby , in which Miffy learns how to deal with her sister Baby Bun. In Dear Grandma Bunny , Miffy tries to understand her grandmother's death.
Mr. Bruna received lots of letters about that one. "Very often, children will read that book at funerals," he says. "I want to be honest with children and tell them the things that happen in life. It mustn't always be happy and gay."
At the library, kids will get a chance to participate in story times, art and craft sessions, and to see 20 limited-edition prints of Mr. Bruna's artwork. A Miffy costumed character will appear for a story time on April 22. Also, the first 200 kids to sign up for a library card will get a free Miffy book, promises Kjerstine Nielsen, manager of the Children's Center at the central library.
Ms. Nielsen says interest in the series has surged; she has added at least 100 Miffy books and 30 videos to meet the demand. "We're always looking to get books into children's hands," she says.
Miffy's original name was Nijntje , which means "little rabbit" in Dutch. Mr. Bruna also called her Le Petit Lapin in France and Usako in Japan. But an English translator suggested Miffy as an easy name for children to say. The name stuck, and now the little bunny is known as Miffy all over the world.
While the name has changed, Miffy's audience hasn't. Mr. Bruna loves writing for children from infancy to age 6.
"In that time, children try to gather the luggage for their whole life. When you can give them at that age a nice warm feeling for a book or drawing, that is very important. My mother gave me good books. For me that is a wonderful memory."
The Children's Center is on the second floor of the library, 1515 Young St. Call 214-670-1671 or go to dallaslibrary.org.
Briefly ...
· For kids old enough to sit still: Families are invited to learn about the Japanese tea ceremony Sunday from 2-3 p.m. at the Crow Collection of Asian Art. It's $5 for Friends of the Crow Collection; $20 for nonmembers. A free performance on a koto , a small, stringed instrument traditionally played by geishas, follows from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Call 214-979-6438 for reservations, www.crowcollection.org .
· The Dallas Theater Center is looking for two minority high school students to participate in a two-part apprenticeship. It's underwritten by the company's new Veronica Spencer-Austin and Dr. Joseph Austin Jr. and Friends Education Fund. Full-time high school students due to return in the fall, with a strong interest in theater, are invited to apply. The scholarship will pay for the students to participate in the Theater Center's Pre-College Actor Training Program in the summer and a semester's apprenticeship at the theater during the fall. The deadline for submission is Friday.
Contact Lisa Holland at 214-252-3916 or e-mail lisa.holland@dallastheatercenter.org.
· Last call for PUP (Playwrights Under Progress) Fest scripts. Playwrights in grades nine-12 have until Friday to submit a 20-minute play requiring one to five actors. Download a coversheet with all the info you need at www.juniorplayers.org under "programs" and "advanced training." The Junior Players program is a collaboration with Kitchen Dog Theater's New Works Festival. Three to five plays will get a staged reading at the festival on June 11. Call 214-526-4076 for more information.
· Saturday Art Ventures, a free art program of the Arlington Museum of Art and Arlington Central Park Library, continues with programming for children ages 8-12 Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon. Preregistration is requested: 817-459-6900, option 3 or e-mail jmartin@arlingtonmuseum.org.
E-mail nchurnin@dallasnews.com
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