Besides Flop Ear there was his mother, Mrs. Bunny, his father, Mr. Bunny, and Lady Munch, who was the grandmother. The reason the grandmother had that name was because she always made her mouth go in such a queer, wobbling way when she munched, or chewed, the cabbages or the carrots.
Then there was Pink Nose, a brother to Flop Ear, and Snuggle, a little rabbit.
Snuggle was called that because she always wanted to cuddle up, or snuggle close, to her mother. And you can easily guess why Pink Nose had his name. Yes, you have guessed it. His nose was as pink as a baby’s toes.
And the reason Flop Ear had his name was because one of his ears flopped over to one side, as if it were going to fall off his head. But of course it never did. The two ears of most rabbits stand up straight, when they are not stretched back along their backs, but when Flop Ear wanted to put both his ears up straight only one would go, and the other dropped down in a queer way.
“Oh, Flop Ear, you are such a funny little white rabbit,” Lady Munch, his grandmother, would say.
“Funny? How is that?” the little boy bunny would ask.
“Why, you look so funny,” the old lady rabbit would answer. “I always want to laugh when I see you.”
“Well, is that a bad thing or a good thing?” Flop Ear would ask.
“Oh, it is a very good thing,” said Lady Munch. “To make rabbit folk laugh is to make them happy so they forget their troubles, and that is always good.”