''Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President'' is a 2018

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

Charlotte Pence Charlotte Pence Bond (born Charlotte Rose Pence; June 25, 1993) is an American writer who is the second child and elder daughter of former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and former Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence. P ...

as author and

Karen Pence Karen Sue Pence ( Batten, formerly Whitaker; born January 1, 1957) is an American schoolteacher, painter, and was the second lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She is married to the 48th vice president of the United States, Mike Penc ...

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

. It details a fictional day in the life of

Marlon Bundo Marlon Bundo (2012/2013 – January 15, 2022), also known as Bunny of the United States (BOTUS), was a rabbit belonging to the family of Mike Pence, the 48th Vice President of the United States, vice president of the United States from 2017 to ...

, pet rabbit of

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

, father of Charlotte and husband of Karen. It received lukewarm reviews from professional critics, who praised the illustrations but found fault with the prose.

Concept

The book is an educational story explaining to children what the job of

entails as seen through the eyes of the Pence family pet rabbit

. The book was announced on the

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account dedicated to Marlon Bundo on September 15, 2017. Second Lady

, a former teacher and a watercolor artist, painted the book's illustrations over a period of about four months. The book was released on March 19, 2018, by the children's arm of

Regnery Publishing Regnery Publishing is a politically conservative book publisher based in Washington, D.C. The company was founded by Henry Regnery in 1947, and is now a division of radio broadcaster Salem Media Group. It is led by President & Publisher Thomas Sp ...

, a

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

book publisher. A book tour stopped at military bases, the

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

presidential libraries A presidential library, presidential center, or presidential museum is a facility either created in honor of a former president and containing their papers, or affiliated with a country's presidency. In the United States * The presidential libr ...

, and the conservative nonprofit organization

Focus on the Family Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations ...

. Proceeds from the book's sales were to be donated to Tracy's Kids – an

art therapy Art therapy (not to be confused with ''arts therapy'', which includes other creative therapies such as drama therapy and music therapy) is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art thera ...

program Karen Pence brought to the

Riley Hospital for Children The Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health is a nationally ranked freestanding 354-bed, pediatric acute care children's hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is affiliated with the Indiana University School of Med ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

– and

The A21 Campaign The A21 Campaign (commonly referred to as "A21") is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to fight human trafficking, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, forced slave labor, bonded labor, involuntary do ...

, a nonprofit organization working to end

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

. Two of Karen Pence's original watercolors for the book illustrations were also auctioned to raise money for Tracy's Kids.

The rabbit

acquired the rabbit that became the book's lead character when she was a

film school A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training ...

student at Chicago's

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

in 2013. The rabbit was later named Marlon Bundo after the seller asked Pence to make an offer on the rabbit. This was taken as a reference to

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

's Don

Vito Corleone Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini) is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel ''The Godfather'' and in the first two of Francis Ford Coppola's film trilogy. Vito is originally portrayed by Marlon Brando in the 1972 film ''The Godfather ...

saying "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." in the 1972 film ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, ...

''. Pence featured the rabbit in a short film project and then kept him as a family pet. He is said to be well-behaved and is the first rabbit to have flown on ''

Air Force Two Air Force Two is the air traffic control designated call sign held by any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the U.S. vice president, but not the president. The term is often associated with the Boeing C-32, a modified 757 which is most ...

'', when the Pences moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The Pences planned to take Marlon Bundo on the book's press tour.

Plot

The story details the experiences of Marlon Bundo, the Pence family pet rabbit and BOTUS (Bunny of the United States), as he follows Grampa (vice president Mike Pence) around for a day. Included are visits to the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...

, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, the vice president's office, and the telescope at their home at the

Naval Observatory United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is a scientific and military facility that produces geopositioning, navigation and timekeeping data for the United States Navy and the United States Department of Defense. Established in 1830 as the Depo ...

. At the end of the day, Marlon joins the vice president in reading the Bible and praying before bed.

Reception

Commercial performance

One week after the book's launch date, Regnery Publishing reported that ''Marlon Bundo's A Day in the Life of the Vice President'' was in its third printing, totaling more than 100,000 copies. ''Publishers Weekly'' estimated the book had sold 26,000 copies as of May 11, 2018.

Critical reception

On its launch date, a number of one-star reviews with negative comments were left on the book's Amazon page by non-buyers who favored the parody book, ''

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' is a 2018 children's book written by Jill Twiss and illustrated by EG Keller (a pseudonym of Gerald Kelley). The book is about a fictional day in the life of Marlon Bundo, the real-life pet rabbit of forme ...

''. Later that day, it was no longer possible to review the Pences' book without purchasing it and one-star ratings from non-buyers had been removed. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' called the book's illustrations "competent", the author's verse "execrable" and the publication as a whole " odyne at best", noting the absence of 'people of color' throughout the book and giving it a "skip it" rating. Similarly, Susie Wilde of ''

The News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

'' praised the illustrations and criticized the writing, "Pence shows her skill at realistic watercolors and captures the cuteness factor of the real BOTUS.... The book fails when it comes to the text, though." ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' mentioned the strained verse as well and called the book mediocre. Katy Waldman in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' also criticized the book's verse as "mostly embarrassing."

Parody

Charlotte Pence's book and Mike Pence's staunch opposition to

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

inspired ''

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' (often abridged as ''Last Week Tonight'') is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by comedian John Oliver. The half-hour-long show premiered in April 2014 on HBO. ''Last Wee ...

'' writer

Jill Twiss Jill Twiss is an American writer best known for her work on the HBO show '' Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.'' She is a senior writer on the show and she portrays its "Janice from Accounting" character. She authored a children's book called '' A ...

to author ''

''. The story details the same-sex romance of rabbits Marlon Bundo and Wesley, who face opposition from a stink bug who is against same-sex marriage. ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'' is billed as an actual children's story about marriage equality and democracy, rather than as a straight-up parody of Charlotte Pence's book, yet it includes some "definite digs" at the vice president. Charlotte Pence supported ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'', posting on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

a picture of herself and the real-life Marlon Bundo wearing a bow tie identical to the one in Jill Twiss' book, and saying on ''Mornings with Maria'': "His book is contributing to charities that I think we can all get behind... I'm all for it." The official Marlon Bundo Instagram account also referred to Twiss' book in a positive light, stating "Not gonna lie, I do look pretty fly in a bow tie. The only thing better than one bunny book for charity is...TWO bunny books for charity." The Twiss book's profits were also given to charities, namely

The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1998. Focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number wher ...

and

AIDS United AIDS United is a national non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, that is dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic in the United States. History and mission AIDS United was born out of a merger between two Washington, DC-based organization ...

. Conversely, Regnery Publishing initially criticized the release of ''A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo'', saying that it was "unfortunate that anyone would feel the need to ridicule an educational children's book and turn it into something controversial and partisan." When the success of both books became apparent, Regnery complimented John Oliver and Chronicle Books for their sales figures, adding: "There's plenty to go around for everyone and, like Charlotte

ence Ence may refer to: * Ence (company), a Spanish multinational company * Ence (esports), a Finnish esports organization {{Disambiguation ...

said, we can all be happy the proceeds are going to a good cause."

References

External links

{{Mike Pence 2018 children's books American children's books American picture books Mike Pence White House in fiction Children's books about rabbits and hares Books about American politicians Regnery Publishing books