You're finally here! Melanie Watt

Do you know how long I've been waiting in here? Long enough to watch paint dry ... long enough to find a needle in a haystack ... long enough to learn an accordion solo ... long enough to gather dust bunnies.

Our narrator bunny is annoyed with waiting for YOU. He is also bored, impatient, and accuses you of extreme rudeness but if you agree to stay he has written a contract:

"This document states that YOU, the reader, hereby agree to stay with ME, the bunny (book character of YOU'RE FINALLY HERE!), forever and ever. YOU, the reader promise to devote all your attention exclusively to ME, the bunny. YOU, the reader, therefore agree never to keep ME, the bunny waiting again! And, oh yes, YOU, the reader, will provide ME, the bunny, with carrot treats every day."

If you are not laughing yet the final pages where our Bunny is interrupted by a series of mobile phone calls are sure give you (and your reading companion) a bucket load of giggles. Now who is left waiting? This book is perfect for young readers aged 6+ but I would also read it to older students and it would be a terrific present for a newly graduated law student too!

Mélanie Watt has taken the classic concept of a fictional character speaking to his audience and found some very interesting ways to make that concept fresh again. Watt’s little bunny is exuberant, pushy,passive-aggressive, charming, and very, very human and, I think, kids will adore how the bunny behaves less like a character in a book and more like a motor-mouthed friend or family member. Building a Library

Watt touches on all manner of manners issues here: the rudeness of pointing out rudeness, of being late, of being selfish, of being aloof and inconsiderate. She strikes a balance between the allure of the bunny’s hyper-­enthusiastic joy at receiving the reader’s attention, and the offensiveness of its egocentric – if not psychotic – neediness. Quill and Quire

Sorry to say this very, very funny book is now out of print. The hardcover edition was published in 2011 and the paperback in 2014. Hopefully you will find a copy in a well stocked library. In the meantime I did find a well made video of the whole book. For teachers and teacher-librarians this is a perfect book for the start of the year with a Grade Two class. I do love books that break the "fourth wall" such as Little Mouse, the ripe red Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear; and Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne. 

Canadian author illustrator Melanie Watt is famous for her Scaredy Squirrel series.