Top Ten: Bunnies in Literature
Hoppy Easter!
In celebration of all things bunny, I present the (not-officially-but-it’s-my-blog-so-I-can-do-what-I-want) top ten rabbits in literature! Because it’s too hard to decide which bunny is worthy of the #1 spot, here they are in chronological order:
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The bunny story that all other literary bunnies will be compared to, forever after.
Written by: Beatrix Potter
First published: 1901
“Now, my dears,” said old Mrs Rabbit one morning, “you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden.”
Follow the story of naughty Peter Rabbit as he squeezes—predictably—under the gate into Mr. McGregor’s garden and finds himself in all kinds of trouble! But how does Peter Rabbit get himself out of this tricky situation? Beatrix Potter’s story about one mischievous but ultimately endearing little creature will tell us, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and timeless verses which have transcended generations.
‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’, first published in 1902, is still today one of Beatrix Potter’s most popular and well-loved tales. It is the first of the illustrious series that is The World of Beatrix Potter’, and a story which has endured retelling after retelling at bedtimes all over the world.
The Adventures of Peter Cottontail
A whimsical, classic tale, which inspired that enduring tune that you will never get out of your head after this.
Written by: Thornton Burgess
First published: 1914
One of the most beloved characters in children’s literature, Peter Cottontail is up to his long-whiskered nose in rib-tickling escapades in this delightful classic. With gentle charm and humor, famed storyteller Thornton W. Burgess draws young readers into the timeless world of the Green Forest, the Smiling Pool and the Purple Mountains.
Warmth and whimsy are the order of the day as Peter discovers the folly of changing his name, outwits the ever-hungry Reddy Fox, manages a number of hare’s-breadth escapes and finally makes an ill-advised decision to hibernate-as Johnny Chuck and other woodland creatures do. The silliness of trying to do what nature never intended is one of the gentle morals of these adventures that combine the fun of a good story with little lessons about wildlife, the environment and being true to one’s self.
The Velveteen Rabbit
It’s a beautiful, timeless story that should be in every child’s collection.
Written by: Margery Williams Blanco
First published: 1922
A stuffed toy rabbit (with real thread whiskers) comes to life in Margery Williams’s timeless tale of the transformative power of love. Given as a Christmas gift to a young boy, the Velveteen Rabbit lives in the nursery with all of the other toys, waiting for the day when the Boy (as he is called) will choose him as a playmate.
In time, the shy Rabbit befriends the tattered Skin Horse, the wisest resident of the nursery, who reveals the goal of all nursery toys: to be made “real” through the love of a human. “‘Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'” This sentimental classic–perfect for any child who’s ever thought that maybe, just maybe, his or her toys have feelings–has been charming children since its first publication in 1922.
Harvey
Unlike the rest of the titles here, Harvey started as a play, not a novel. But it would be a travesty to leave off the six-foot-tall invisible “pooka,” or white rabbit. It is delightful and wonderful and should be read (and watched) as soon as possible.
Written by: Mary Chase
First published: 1944.
When Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend Harvey, a six and a half foot rabbit, to guests at a dinner party, his sister, Veta, has seen as much of his eccentric behavior as she can tolerate. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium to spare her daughter, Myrtle Mae, and their family, from future embarrassment.
Problems arise, however, when Veta herself is mistakenly assumed to be on the fringe of lunacy when she explains to doctors that years of living with Elwood’s hallucination have caused her to see Harvey also!
The doctors commit Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion.
Watership Down
The bunny book that will scar you for life.
Written by: Richard Adams
First published: 1972
A worldwide bestseller for more than forty years, Watership Down is the compelling tale of a band of wild rabbits struggling to hold onto their place in the world–“a classic yarn of discovery and struggle” (The New York Times).
Richard Adams’s Watership Down is a timeless classic and one of the most beloved novels of all time. Set in the Hampshire Downs in Southern England, an idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of “suspense, hot pursuit, and derring-do” (Chicago Tribune) follows a band of rabbits in flight from the incursion of man and the destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of brothers, they travel forth from their native Sandleford warren through harrowing trials to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society. “A marvelous story of rebellion, exile, and survival” (Sunday Telegraph) – this is an unforgettable literary classic for all ages.
Bunnicula
A delightful tale of a mysterious bunny, who may or may not be a dangerous vampire.
Written by: Deborah Howe, James Howe
First published: 1979
BEWARE THE HARE!
Is he or isn’t he a vampire?This book is written by Harold. His fulltime occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived.
Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester’s suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading.
Since its first appearance in 1979, “Bunnicula” has been a hit with kids and their parents everywhere, selling over 8 million copies and winning numerous awards.
Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
Before he was “framed,” Roger Rabbit was censored. FYI: This is not a bunny tale for the kids.
Written by: Gary K. Wolf
First published: 1981
“Who’d want to kill a dumb cartoon bunny?”
That’s what Eddie Valiant wants to know. He’s the toughest private eye in Los Angeles, and he’ll handle anything – if you’re human. If you’re a Toon, that’s another story.
Eddie doesn’t like Toons – those cartoon characters who live side-by-side with humans. Not the way they look, and especially not the way they talk: word-filled balloons come out of their mouths and then disintegrate, leaving dust all over his rug.
In Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, author Gary K. Wolf has created a wonderfully skewed – and totally believable – world compounded of equal parts Raymond Chandler, Lewis Carroll, and Warner Brothers. This riotously surreal spoof of the hard-boiled detective novel is packed with action and laughs. From first page to last, Who Censored Roger Rabbit? is sheer delight.
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
From the author of The Tale of Desperaux and Because of Winn-Dixie comes a beautiful tale of a china rabbit learning what “love” actually means.
Written by: Kate DiCamillo
First published: 2006
A timeless tale by the incomparable Kate DiCamillo, complete with stunning full-color plates by Bagram Ibatoulline, honors the enduring power of love.
“Someone will come for you, but first you must open your heart. . . .”
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.
And then, one day, he was lost.
Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes’ camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
Tales of Beedle the Bard
In this collection of fairy tales is the story of “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump,” where a clever witch “hops” out of particularly sticky situation.
Written by: JK Rowling
First published: 2008
“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” contains five richly diverse fairy tales, each with its own magical character, that will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril.
Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts.
A uniquely magical volume, with illustrations by the author, J. K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come.
The Legend of Podkin One-Ear
The first in a series about a warrior rabbit and the enemy he must defeat.
Written by: Kieran Larwood
First published: 2016
A thick white blanket covers the wide slopes of the band of hills some call the Razorback Downs…
Podkin One-Ear is a legend: a fearsome warrior rabbit whose reputation for cunning and triumph in battle has travelled the ages. But how did he become such a mighty fighter? The answer may surprise you… When a travelling bard arrives at Thornwood Warren on Midwinter night, he is warmly welcomed. In return for food and lodging, he settles down to tell of how Podkin One-Ear – and soon the rabbits are enthralled to hear the story of how one lost little rabbit overcame the cruellest enemy imaginable, and became the greatest warrior their land has ever known.
What do you think? Did I miss any important literary bunnies?
