I adore spotting bunnies in the wilds here. They never cease to amaze me. Yet I have to admit that I never thought of them with the magical potential that this book manages to capture so beautifully.
Nora Ericson studied painting at Yale University and writing for children at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Originally from central New York, she now lives in Portland, Oregon, with two kids, two dogs, and two cats. Besides reading and writing, she loves cooking, tromping in the woods, and whittling spoons while daydreaming of her future miniature donkey farm. She’s also the author of Too Early, Dill & Bizzy: An Odd Duck and a Strange Bird, and Dill & Bizzy: Opposite Day. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.
THE BUNNY BALLET is an absolutely breathtaking picture book about two children who stumble across a magical bunny ballet in the woods. There’s leaping, and costumes, and theater, and I would downright swear I heard music while reading this! Perhaps it’s the rollicking rhyme and rhythm woven throughout or perhaps it’s the magical illustrations that Elly MacKay has made. Somehow between her cut paper illuminated photography the book has an ethereal quality that can’t be explained. It simply adds to this stunningly gorgeous story in ways that have to be seen to be believed.
Please note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review, but the opinions, as always, are my own.
Welcome Nora!
Me: Just in case someone isn’t familiar with your work, can you talk about your creative journey? How did you get started and how did that lead you to the work you’re doing now with books for kids?
Nora: Well, my path wasn’t completely direct, but I think that is common for those in creative fields. I actually studied art in college and my focus was on figurative oil painting. Then I worked for various non-profits to pay the bills after I graduated and considered trying to get my MFA in painting. But I also had a friendship story bouncing around in my head and since it was about kids, I started rereading all my favorite middle-grade novels from childhood … and quickly found myself hooked! I ended up getting my MFA not in painting, but in writing for children, from Vermont College of Fine Arts. I was lucky enough to sign with an agent a few years later. I adore middle-grade and YA as well, but having kids shortly after graduate school immersed me in picture books and that’s what I’ve ended up publishing.
After finding out about my background in art, most people then ask me if I ever illustrate my own books, and the answer is… not yet! It is something I would love to explore, but the style of painting I practiced was not very illustrative and I think it will take me a lot of time and effort to find a style that might work for picture books. Maybe when my kids go to college! For now I content myself with the idea that being able to think very visually may help me write better picture books? At least that’s what I like to tell myself 🙂
Me: What an enchanting concept! I couldn’t help but hear bits of music from The Nutcracker as I read it. It’s so spellbinding! What gave you the idea for a bunny ballet like this?
Nora: It is really quite simple – my daughter and niece asked me to write it! I took a few years of ballet class as a child, but didn’t enjoy the tight buns and layers of Dippity-Do we had to slather on our heads for performances (it’s a real hair product, and unfortunately I think it still exists!), so didn’t stick with it for long. But in fall of 2019 my daughter and my niece took a beginning ballet class together at our local community center and it was MUCH more relaxed. Definitely no Dippity-Do!
In fact, the class was a total delight, especially for the adults watching. (I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in my life!) And then in the spring there were bunny ears around the house and the kids ended up wearing their leotards and their bunny ears at the same time, so of course “bunny dances” ensued. One of the girls suggested I write a story about a bunny ballet and then when the pandemic hit, right about the same time, I ended up in lock-down with that idea rattling around in my head My husband works in healthcare, so there was a lot of stress and fear, and thinking up bunny dancing rhymes was a lovely escape!
Me: This story is so full of imagination and magic. Why did you become involved in this project?
Nora: Well, I wrote the story during the pandemic and then after Too Early came out, of course I wanted to work with Elly again (who wouldn’t!), so when our editor for Too Early expressed interest in the Bunny Ballet manuscript, both of us immediately hoped Elly might sign on! And lucky for us, she was willing!
Me: The text and illustrations work so wonderfully together in this story. How many revisions did you have to make to get this story to the final product?
Nora: Writing a rhyming manuscript like this is sort of like figuring out a giant puzzle. (As anyone who has written in rhyme before knows, it is actually the METER that is the hardest to get right – the pattern of stresses.) This was my first time attempting a picture book in rhyme and wow, I had a lot to figure out. So I went through many many many versions before it ever even went to my agent!
One of my critique partners, author Rosanne Parry, actually marked up all the stressed syllables on an early draft of the manuscript, which was heroic of her! She really helped me see that how I was reading it was not how everyone else was going to read it and I needed to be diligent about inspecting every single syllable. It was so much work, especially since The Bunny Ballet is a bit longer than a typical picture book (40 pages rather than 32) and has a fair number of words! But luckily, by the time my editor saw it, the meter/rhyme was pretty well worked out.
We did make some changes, for instance it was my editor’s idea to add the little moment of tension where you think the prima ballerina bunny is slipping … but then she is caught and dipped. And of course any change you make to a rhyming manuscript has rippling effects, so we tried not to change any more than truly necessary. The last thing we did was make sure that the two acts, intermission and then grand finale were all spaced correctly for the 40-page book before passing it on to Elly.
Me: The rhyme compels the reader to dance along with the story. You have incredible work to share, and it’s obvious that there was such joy in the creation of it. If this was the very last book you could create, would you be satisfied with that? Why share this particular book with the world? What would you hope to leave in readers’ minds?
Nora: As I mentioned, I was writing this book during a rather dark and stressful time, but I was also home with two kids who still wanted to play and dance and wear bunny ears and be silly. For me this book is simply about bringing a little joy and delight to the world. There is room for all sorts of stories and I love picture books with important things to say and even teach. But I also love a little simple joy!
As far as if I’d be satisfied if this was the last book I could create, it depends on what you mean by that. The publishing world is tough and I do truly feel lucky to ever have been able to publish a book at all. I know so many super talented writers who haven’t gotten so lucky. So if this is the last book I publish, I’d be sad, but still grateful. I’d be glad I went out on a joyful note! But writing and publishing are two very different things! As I mentioned, I wrote this book back in 2020, sold it in 2022 (I think) and here it is finally out at the end of 2025! I’ve written a LOT more things since then. (Two middle-grade stories, many picture books, even the beginning of a YA novel!) So I already know it wasn’t the last thing I created, even if none of those stories go on to be published!
Now if someone told me that I could never write another story, then I wouldn’t be happy or grateful at all. That would be very distressing! But even if I were in an empty room with no paper and no computer, I could still write stories in my head. I used to do that all the time was I was nursing my kids. I’d get stuck in bed with them for naptime and knew if I moved an inch they’d wake up, so I’d just lie there and think up stories. I think I wrote a whole seafaring adventure in my head when my son was an infant! Okay, I think I’ve taken your question a little bit farther than you intended, so I’ll stop now 🙂
Me: What is one thing that surprised you in the creation of this book?
Nora: Well, the art surprised me! As I’ve mentioned, maybe because of my art background, I tend to very clearly visualize the art for my stories. And for The Bunny Ballet, I had envisioned these kids venturing out into the city from their apartment at night and stumbling into this underground theater where these tall, graceful and mysterious hares put on a magical performance. So when I first saw Elly’s art, with the small, adorably dressed bunnies in a woodland setting, I was like, WOAH! I even asked about making them taller, but was told that Elly had tried that and found they looked creepy. Ha! Can you imagine how creepy my version would have been?? Aack!
Now, of course, I can’t picture them any other way than how Elly created them, and I’m SO glad she brought her incredible vision to the story! (And pretty sure that kids everywhere will agree:)) Even though sometimes it takes me a little bit to get used to the “surprise” of another person’s interpretation of my words, it really is one of the most magical things about picture books that are written and illustrated by different people- how two visions get to come together and make something new, so often more than the sum of its parts.
Me: Do you have any advice for new writers and/or illustrators?
Nora: Read lots and lots of books, and not only older ones, that maybe you loved as a child, but also new ones. And don’t be afraid to start over. Don’t be afraid to try something new. Find some trusted people to read your work then have some fun!
That is great advice. Thank you for stopping by my blog today Nora.
Dear readers, this book was published just a couple of weeks ago. This is an extraordinary tale that reminds me of discovering a new world through a wardrobe. It captures the imagination with such joy that it is sure to enchant readers of all ages. Trust me when I say that you won’t want to miss it!