Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: rabbit

  • Beware! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Biter

    Beware! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Biter

    Ralfy Rabbit is feeling very upset; his life is not the same anymore since the arrival of his new baby brother Rodney. All Rodney ever seems to do is make huge amounts of noise and poor Ralphy can’t get any peace at all to do what he loves to do best, read books!

    As you know, because you have already met Ralfy in his first story about the ‘book burglar’, he loves books; big books, small books, any sized book at all and loves nothing better, than to find somewhere quiet to snuggle up and read, but his life is now anything but peaceful and quiet.

    He goes to two of his favourite places to try and get some peace: the library and the book store, but when he gets home and opens up one of his books, horror of horrors, there is a great big hole in it!

    Oh, dear me what a terrible thing to have happened. Who is responsible? Every book Ralphy opened had corners chewed, pages eaten and holes all over the place. What was to be done!

    After asking Mum and Dad if they knew anything, Ralfy sets out to try and find the culprit; so, he gathers up his detective kit and eventually discovers something rather intriguing. When he finds out who the book biter really is, he comes up with the perfect solution, which is what being a big brother is all about, well some of the time.

    Emily Mackenzie with BEWARE! Ralfy Rabbit and the Secret Book Bitter has created fantastic story wrapped around the disruption that can come with a new addition to a household and a solution, involving the power of books, to solve a what was terribly ‘chompsome’ as well as very noisy, problem.

     

  • Squish Rabbit’s Pet

    Squish Rabbit’s Pet

    In this charming story of Squish Rabbit’s Pet from Katherine Battersby, dreaming big is celebrated with a terrific adventure undertaken by Squish, who really, really wants a pet.

    Squish knows he is a toy rabbit who loves to dream about so many things; fields full of lovely juicy carrots, matching outfits for him and his best friend Twitch, but most of all he decides he would really love to have a puppy as a pet.

    Now as you all know, sometimes, dreaming big is terrific, but you don’t always get what you dream about and truly want, so Squish had to have a very serious think about how he could have a pet puppy, but more importantly where would he find one!

    Squish finds a lost egg while he was out walking one day, deciding that he would hatch his own pet and so, he went home and read everything he could about looking after his precious egg. But then, after a little time had passed, he realised that perhaps whatever was hatching in the egg, may not be what he wanted. What was he to do!

    In this cute and cheeky tale from the beloved Squish Rabbit, children are guided into a world of making choices and all the many things that need to be considered, with the use of well selected vocabulary, making the story suitable for young and beginner readers.

    The quirky illustrations, clear and well crafted, add so much fun to this lovely homily from Squish Rabbit as he, along with some help from his friend Twitch, makes a momentous decision.

     

  • The Velveteen Rabbit

    The Velveteen Rabbit

    This book was first published in Great Britain in 1922. It is lovely to see that magic and wonder is still appreciated in today’s world of realism. Hopefully a whole new group of children will be entertained and become thoughtful about issues in the story. For today’s child, a nursery with a Nana may not be the most relevant topic, but the love of a toy and reflection later as to what happened to that toy, will always be relevant. Although this is a story for younger children, it is quite lengthy, and may take a few sittings to complete.

     The story deals with a toy rabbit who is given to a boy as a Christmas present. After a short time of playing with the rabbit, the boy leaves him and plays with other toys. The rabbit is lonely and many of the other toys are unfriendly. A toy horse talks to the rabbit, who wants to know what it is to be REAL. The horse assures him that if the boy plays with him continuously and they become inseparable, he will feel real. One day, the Nana who tidies the nursery, picks up the rabbit and takes him to the boy who is going to bed.

     From that time on the boy and the rabbit spend all day and night together. The rabbit is very happy, and is very loved by the boy. The rabbit gradually becomes shabbier, but no one cares, the rabbit does indeed feel real. After a wonderful time together, the boy becomes ill. The rabbit shares the boy’s bed, and is a great comfort to him. After a long convalescence, the doctor visits and gives orders that all the bedding and toys be burnt, to get rid of the germs from the boy’s illness. The rabbit is devastated, and when in a sack in the garden, he sheds a tear. The tear falls on the ground, and it is here that the magic of the story comes to the fore.

     The ending is so delightful, and credible, that most children will take great comfort knowing what has happened to all their old toys. The language is not compromising and is logical and meaningful. Sentences like, “He longed to become Real, to know what it felt like; and yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad,” will be understood by young children. As the rabbit accepts his fate, so do we. The illustrations are also delightful, reflecting another time and place, but gentle in colour and support of the story.

    It is so lovely to see this book again for those of us who remembered it a long time ago.