 |
| Check out the schedule of events for both The Book Rat and A Backwards Story! Don't miss a second of all the great stuff we have in store for you! If you post about fairy tales online, share your link here! Grab some promotional buttons for your blog and stop back for fun guest posts, exciting author visits, giveaways, reviews, and more! Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest |
Happy Easter!!!!
Here's hoping the bunny brought you some sweet treats this year!
It's kind of appropriate that this year, Fairy Tale Fortnight begins on a beloved holiday with lore all its own. How a religious holiday turned into candy and bunnies, I don't know, but the lore surrounding the fluffy-tailed creature are completely appropriate to discuss today.
Who is the Easter Bunny really?
According to William Joyce and the Guardians of Childhood webpage, he is E. Aster Bunnymund, "a mythological Pooka who travels the galaxy, E. Aster Bunnymund specializes in making delicious chocolates—and battling evil. Part sorcerer, part ninja, and completely brilliant, Bunnymund is hard to find but well worth the search."
He is the Guardian of Hope, and lives down under in Australia in a hole considered to be the birthplace of spring.
He is a "Chocolatier. Ninja. Zen Master. He lives on Easter Island. He makes chocolate. He can travel the galaxy before you can say "egg." Yes, he's the Easter Bunny but he's not like any bunny you've ever seen. When he's not creating the most delicious confections on the planet, he's helping the Guardians fight the Nightmare King. And with his Warrior Eggs armed and ready, E. Aster Bunnymund may be just what the Guardians need to put an end to the battle for the children of Earth!"
In the movie Rise of the Guardians (Haven't seen this awesome movie? Check out my review!), he's voiced by the always-wonderful Hugh Jackman, who is also an Australian native. Despite the fact that the movie is marketed at Christmastime (due to the fact that Nicholas St. North (aka Santa Claus) and Jack Frost have larger roles in the movie), the truth is that the movie takes place three days before Easter. It's Bunnymund running the show and having his holiday destroyed if the Guardians can't take down Nightmare King Pitch Black!
Bunnymund also has an entire book devoted to him and the way he runs Easter. He's a fierce warrior and critical when it comes to helping the other Guardians take down Pitch. Plus, he has an awesome ability to dig tunnels and get anywhere in the world. (Well, how else is he going to deliver all those eggs and candy each year???)
I adore William Joyce's world. His characters are so imaginative, and I love the way he brought new mythology to beings we all grew up loving such as the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and more. There's childhood whimsy, the battle between good and evil, and above all else, protecting children everywhere and bringing them joy.
Joyce wrote and illustrated every book himself. He's crazy talented, and spent about twenty years creating his franchise. Time well spent, I say!
Want to learn more about The Guardians of Childhood? Check out my reviews of picture books THE MAN IN THE MOON and THE SANDMAN!
~*~
O F F I C I A L I N F O:
Title: E. ASTER BUNNYMUND AND THE WARRIOR EGGS AT THE EARTH'S CORE
Author: William Joyce
Release Date: Feb. 21, 2012
Publisher: Laura Geringer Book // HarperCollins
SUMMARY:
Pitch, the Nightmare King, and his Fearlings had been soundly driven back by Nicholas St. North and company in the first Guardians’ adventure. But now Pitch has disappeared completely—and out of sight does NOT make for out of mind.
It seems certain that he’s plotting a particularly nefarious revenge, and the Guardians suspect he might have gone underground. But how can they find him there?
Enter E. Aster Bunnymund, the only emissary of the fabled brotherhood of the Pookas—the league of philosophical warrior rabbits of imposing intellect and size. Highly skilled in martial arts (many of which he invented himself), Bunnymund is brilliant, logical, and a tunnel-digger extraordinaire.
If the Guardians need paths near the Earth’s core, he’s their Pooka. He’s also armed with magnificent weapons of an oval-sort, and might just be able to help in the quest for the second piece of the Moonclipper.
This second book in The Guardians series is about much more than fixing a few rotten eggs—it brings the Guardians one step closer to defeating Pitch!
It seems certain that he’s plotting a particularly nefarious revenge, and the Guardians suspect he might have gone underground. But how can they find him there?
Enter E. Aster Bunnymund, the only emissary of the fabled brotherhood of the Pookas—the league of philosophical warrior rabbits of imposing intellect and size. Highly skilled in martial arts (many of which he invented himself), Bunnymund is brilliant, logical, and a tunnel-digger extraordinaire.
If the Guardians need paths near the Earth’s core, he’s their Pooka. He’s also armed with magnificent weapons of an oval-sort, and might just be able to help in the quest for the second piece of the Moonclipper.
This second book in The Guardians series is about much more than fixing a few rotten eggs—it brings the Guardians one step closer to defeating Pitch!
~*~
Happy Easter! <3
ReplyDelete