Knuffle Bunny
“Aggle flaggle klabble.”
“Knuffle Bunny” (pronounced k-nuffle) is great story by Mo Willems about a resilient little girl, Trixie. Despite her very best efforts to communicate with her dad, she continues to be misunderstood. How frustrating! Don’t worry, though, her family doesn’t give up and together they solve a mystery AND Trixie reveals her first (recognizable) word!
Did you know that k-nuffle bunny means snuggle bunny? It does! In an interview with NPR Willems says, “It's a Dutch word that means hug or snuggle. And it's pronounced k-nuffle (ph), but I misspelled it.”
What an interesting mistake.
This got us thinking about mistakes in language and communication. How much does it matter? How many of us are calling this story “Knuffle Bunny” with the silent k and yet others know what story we are talking about?
Either way you pronounce it, most of us who have read this story understand Trixie’s dilemma. Our words may not express the same exact ideas, but how can we transcend that and listen to understand?
In the adult world of politics and news, the meaning of words can be twisted, facts distorted for a some purpose. Can we train ourselves to consider the underlying meaning of it all? What are all the ways we communicate our ideas, values, and emotions with one another? What messages would we find and how would they be similar or different to what was said?
Language is such an interesting topic to consider with children. They invent their own combinations of syllables for words and yet, if we listen, we understand. A child who uses “hobodoctor” in place of helicopter and “basgetti” in place of spaghetti can still be understood. Rather than incessantly correcting them, we accept their words and responds to the intended meaning.
As early communicators, children use facial expressions, gestures, and even “tantrums” to get their point across - forcing us to really listen to understand. Leave it to children to demand real practice in listening and communication.
Hopefully you understand what we mean, even if the words didn’t come out just right.
Some things to think about…
How can people communicate or share ideas if they can’t speak? Can you understand someone just by looking? Why or why not? What if your assumptions are wrong?
Create your own language. Come up with words to replace other common words. Write them down and define them like you would in a dictionary. Use the words at home and see if anyone can figure them out. Aggle flabble!
