How a Lost Toy, a Mother’s Heart, and the Magic of Vancouver Became a Book

Every story has an origin.
Purple Bunny’s began in the most ordinary-yet-heartfelt place: the bedtime routine of a little girl who loved her stuffed bunny more than anything in the world… and a mother who wanted to protect that love.

🐰 When a Beloved Bunny Keeps Getting Lost

Purple Bunny wasn’t just a toy in our home—she was family. Soft, floppy, and adored beyond measure, she went everywhere with my daughter, Misha Lily. But like most well-loved toys, she had a habit of disappearing at the very worst moments.

Under café tables.
In grocery store carts.
At gymnastics.
In the car.
Behind couch cushions.
Once, somehow, inside a shoe.

And each time she went missing, Misha’s world felt like it stopped.
There were tears, worry, and long nights searching every corner of our home.

✨ Turning Worry into Wonder

As a mother, I felt a deep need to protect her heart. I couldn’t always find Purple Bunny right away—but I could soften the fear of the unknown. So, night after night, I began imagining tiny adventures for Purple Bunny:

Maybe she was exploring the tall trees…
Maybe she was hopping along the seawall…
Maybe she went to visit the horses in the field…

I whispered these stories to Misha at bedtime, reciting them gently until she fell asleep—usually while I was still searching the house with a flashlight in hand. These weren’t meant to be books. They were meant to be comfort.

But something shifted when I started jotting them down.
They weren’t just soothing stories—they were seeds of something bigger.

🌲 A Story Rooted in Real Places

I wanted the book to feel honest, nostalgic, and true to childhood. That meant staying faithful to the real places Purple Bunny was lost… and the real city that shaped our lives.

Vancouver, BC—our home—became the backdrop to every adventure.

From its sweeping ocean views to its forests, bridges, mountains, and cozy neighborhood corners, the city itself became a character in the story. It felt important to honor that. Childhood memories aren’t vague—they’re rooted in places, textures, moments. I wanted children reading this story to feel grounded in that reality, whether they live here or not.

🎨 Bringing It to Life Through Art

When illustrator Golnar Servatian joined the project, everything changed in the most magical way. She took our real-world memories—Misha’s tears, Purple Bunny’s adventures, and Vancouver’s beauty—and transformed them into luminous, heartfelt illustrations.

Her artwork doesn’t just accompany the story.
It elevates it.
It captures the warmth, wonder, and emotional truth of those moments.

Readers will recognize real places, real feelings, and the sense of comfort only a beloved toy can bring.

❤️ A Mother’s Love, Shared With the World

The Adventures of Purple Bunny began as whispered reassurances in the dark.
Now it lives as a story meant to comfort, inspire, and remind children everywhere that:

✨ imagination can turn fear into adventure
✨ love always finds its way home
✨ even the smallest bunny can have the grandest journeys

This book is my love letter to my daughter, to childhood, and to every parent who has ever torn the house apart looking for a lost stuffie at bedtime.

Thank you for stepping into our story.
I hope it brings magic to yours.

With love,
Aviva Jaspal Karp (Jp)
Author, The Adventures of Purple Bunny