Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on Grandpa's Farm

In Short

Six-year-old Bunny Brown and five-year-old Sue embark on an overland summer journey to their grandfather's farm in a custom-built, house-like automobile. Along the bumpy roads and throughout the countryside, the pair continually wander off to explore: they search for missing farm horses, discover a hermit's cabin in a rainstorm, scatter hungry tramps at a picnic, and slip away to see a traveling circus. Laura Lee Hope’s story endures as a gentle, reassuring record of early twentieth-century American childhood, where low-stakes outdoor freedom, sibling companionship, and simple curiosity turn every ordinary afternoon into an unforgettable escapade.

The Story

The adventure opens at the Brown household in the coastal town of Bellemere, where young Bunny Brown and his sister Sue spend their days inventing small amusements, like putting on a Punch and Judy show with a sawdust-leaking doll. When a letter arrives from Grandpa Brown inviting the family to spend the summer on his farm, the children are overjoyed. However, the trip is complicated by news that a roving band of Gypsies has borrowed Grandpa's horses and failed to return them. To reach the farm without relying on train schedules or borrowed horses, Mr. Brown reveals a grand surprise: he has purchased a massive old moving van and converted it into an automobile home, complete with living quarters, beds, a cooking stove, and white curtains.

With their parents and their teenage helper, Bunker Blue, the children set off on a leisurely, multi-day road trip. The modified van serves as a moving campsite, yielding small dramas at every stop. Bunker sleeps on a folding cot beneath the vehicle, which causes nighttime scares when stray farm animals tickle his toes. Bunny's eagerness leads him to capture a lost horse along the road, only to find it belongs to a neighboring farmer rather than his grandfather. Nevertheless, the family enjoys open-air suppers, warm summer rains, and the freedom of the open road before finally arriving at Grandpa Brown’s farm.

Once settled at the farm, Bunny and Sue throw themselves into farm life with boundless, unthinking enthusiasm. They feed the chickens with Grandma Brown, gather fresh eggs, and narrowly avoid a painful encounter with honeybees after mistaking the wooden hives for miniature playhouses. Trying to create a scenic waterfall in a nearby brook, Bunny inadvertently damps up the water supply for a neighbor's chickens and gets stuck waist-deep in sticky mud until Bunker pulls him out.

Later, while picking wild berries, Bunny and Sue lose their bearings in the dense woods. As a sudden thunderstorm hits, they seek shelter in a log cabin belonging to a kindly old hermit. Although the children’s absence causes a wide search party to assemble, the hermit cares for them until Grandpa and Mr. Brown track them down through the dark woods.

As summer wanes, the children endure a confrontation with two hungry tramps who try to steal food at a neighborhood picnic, but Bunny successfully frightens the intruders off by calling for their shaggy dog, Splash. Driven by a desire to see exotic animals, Bunny and Sue eventually run away toward the nearby town to attend a circus. There, near the big top, Bunny spots the same Gypsies who had taken Grandpa’s horses. Neighboring farmers find the lost children and return them home, but the sighting enables the family to recover the missing horses. With the livestock restored, the summer ends in triumph and cheerful reunion.

How It Unfolds

A letter and a mobile house Mrs. Brown receives an invitation to Grandpa's farm, but learns that his work horses have been taken by Gypsies. To solve the transport problem, Mr. Brown surprises Bunny and Sue with a renovated moving van outfitted with bunks, a stove, and small curtained windows.

Life on the open road The family sets out across the countryside, camping by the roadside under willow trees. Bunker Blue sleeps under the van, Splash the dog keeps guard, and Bunny accidentally catches a neighbor's stray horse while searching for his grandfather's lost pair.

Arrival and farm mischief Upon reaching the farm, the children dive into country chores and outdoor play. They learn about honeybees the hard way, and Bunny builds a mud dam that cuts off a neighbor's water before sinking into the mud himself.

Lost in the forest storm While harvesting wild raspberries, Bunny and Sue lose the trail and wander deep into the forest. They encounter an aged hermit living in a log cabin, who feeds them bread and milk and shelters them safely through a fierce thunderstorm.

Rescued in the night Grandpa Brown, Mr. Brown, and Splash trudge through the clearing after the storm passes to retrieve the missing children from the hermit's cabin, bringing them safely back to the farm in a horse-drawn carriage.

The picnic and the runaway circus run After defending a children's picnic from a pair of hungry tramps, Bunny and Sue secretly trek down a dusty road to see a traveling circus. Although caught by neighbors before seeing the main show, they spot Grandpa's missing horses among the circus wagons, leading to their eventual recovery.

The People

• Bunny Brown: A energetic, optimistic six-year-old boy who leads every expedition. Bunny wants to explore every inch of his surroundings, find his grandfather's missing horses, and prove himself helpful. Though he constantly promises to be careful, his impulsive fixes—like building mud dams or chasing wild frogs—repeatedly lead to small disasters.
• Sue Brown: Bunny's five-year-old sister and constant companion. Sue wants to join in every adventure, keep up with her older brother, and see circus animals. She relies on Bunny when they are lost, though her straightforward observations often reveal the absurdity of their situations.
• Mr. Brown (Daddy): The inventive head of the family, who solves travel problems by turning an old moving van into a custom house on wheels. He wants his children to experience outdoor living while maintaining a watchful, patient presence when their antics go awry.
• Mrs. Brown (Mother): A supportive, nurturing presence who keeps order during the journey. She worries about her children's safety and clean clothes, but encourages their wonder and manages the logistics of their mobile household.
• Bunker Blue: The tall, red-haired assistant who helps drive the van, manages camp tasks, and watches over the children. Bunker cheerfully sleeps under the vehicle on a folding cot, cleans up after Bunny's muddy mishaps, and teaches Bunny how to whistle.
• The Hermit: A lonely, kindly old man who lives by himself in a forest log cabin. Missing his own grown child, he shelters Bunny and Sue during a dangerous thunderstorm and guides the searching family back to them.

In Its Own Voice

"My father told me to bring the auto up here and leave it. He'll be home pretty soon, I guess, and tell you all about it. I'll be going now."

A worker leaves the converted moving van in the yard, sparking the children's wonder before their long summer journey across the state begins.

"I wondered why no water was running down into my chicken yard, and I came to see what had stopped up my brook. It's your waterfall!"

A neighboring farmer chuckles after following a dry creek bed, only to find six-year-old Bunny thigh-deep in mud, having built an impromptu dam to sail toy boats.

"You are just like Robinson Crusoe. It's better to be him, 'cause Mr. Friday is black. You'd have to black up."

Little Sue chatters innocently with the lonely forest hermit while waiting out a torrential rainstorm inside his cozy log cabin.

What It's Really About

Beneath its simple episodic structure, the book explores the expansive freedom and benign security of early twentieth-century American childhood. It captures a historical moment when rural life and automotive novelties intersected, presenting a world where small town boundaries were fluid and open to self-directed exploration.

The narrative celebrates sibling partnership; Bunny and Sue operate as an indivisible unit, balancing individual fears with mutual encouragement when faced with dark woods, strange adults, or looming thunderstorms. The story continuously reinforces a moral universe founded on community trust. Whether dealing with hermit wood-dwellers, neighboring farmers, or roadside travelers, the world outside the front porch is depicted as inherently friendly, forgiving of childish mistakes, and ready to guide lost children home.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers looking for historical children's fiction will find Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue on Grandpa's Farm an endearing period piece. It offers a nostalgic glimpse into early auto-camping culture, depicting a time when traveling twenty miles in a converted moving van was a thrilling multi-day expedition. The writing features gentle pacing, direct vocabulary, and a warm tone that respects the emotional scale of early childhood.

The book does reflect its 1916 publication date, which prospective readers should keep in mind. Contemporary audiences will notice outdated period idioms, casual characterizations of "Gypsies" common to early twentieth-century series fiction, and straightforward class distinctions between the town family and hired laborers.

Yet for adults reading aloud to young children, or readers interested in the history of juvenile series books, the story's charm lies in its total absence of modern rush. The genuine warmth between Bunny and Sue, their unfettered outdoor play, and the steady, comforting presence of their extended family make this a peaceful, refreshing journey into a simpler literary past.