A Rabbit's Tale

When I was around seven years old my dad brought home a wild baby rabbit.  My dad was a builder of roads and in the company's process of clearing the land a mother rabbit and her babies (except one) was killed.  His  fur was soft and brown like cocoa, his nose pink like rose petals.  A baby bunny...there is nothing sweeter.  My dad, however did make it clear that we would raise him to adulthood  but he was a wild animal and it would not be fair to him to make him a pet.   He would have to return to the woods, well, new woods anyway.  I named him Peter Cottontail.  We fed him milk from an eye dropper and my dad made  a cage for him to sleep in but he was also occasionally aloud to hop around and explore the house, much to my delight .  Bunnies become rabbits very quickly  and soon the day arrived when I had to let him go.  Behind our house was a canal and beyond that was undeveloped woods.  My dad had built a bridge across the canal and on that day he walked across and let Peter Cottontail hop into his future as a creature of the forest.  I stood in the backyard, heart broken with salty drops of water spilling from my eyes.  I'm sure I saw him come back to the water's edge several times over the following couple of weeks and then I never saw him again.  Sounds dramatic I know, but he was my first experience of letting go of something I loved.  

So, for the longest time my favorite book,  a Golden Book, was The Whispering Rabbit by Margaret Wise Brown.  Garth Williams illustrated him so sweetly you couldn't help but love him.  In the world of children's literature the Rabbit has a place right at the top from the white rabbit in Lewis Carroll's, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Aesop's Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.  And I realize in the latter you mostly root for the Tortoise but you have to admit there is something charming about the overly confident rabbit.  The rabbit is also represented in many legends and myths such as the East African Legend, How the Hare Told the Truth About His Horse and the Afro-American Folktale, Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby.

If rabbits were not already appealing creatures,  Beatrix Potter sealed the deal with, The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  It really was quite genius on her part that she insisted they be published in the form of a small book, just perfect for little hands to hold.  When my son was young we checked out every single one of her books from the library and had a Beatrix Potter's characters marathon.   One regret I have was that I didn't buy that charming box with a handle that has all of her books in it, I would still love to have that, you are never too old.   There  is a 2006 movie titled, "Miss Potter" and it stars Renee Zellweger.  It is a biopic that illustrates  how she originally succeeded in getting her stories and illustrations published.  It's interesting and entertaining.

For me, the ultimate Rabbit tale and my absolute favorite  is Margery William's, The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real).  There is nothing more magical than as a child believing your favorite stuffed animal had thoughts and feelings, I know I did.   I love the way Ms Williams taps into that which only a child believes.  The book was first published in 1922 and is still one of the most beloved books of all time.  It is interesting the way Ms William's childhood habits as well as Ms Potter's foreshadow what they were to become.  Ms William would trace animals from her father's books and cut them out and pretend  to feed and care for them.  Ms Potter would draw the animals she saw when her family would go to Scotland or Lake Country in the Summer.  Thanks to both of them for their lasting contribution of stories we will remember always.

If your  reader is crazy about Bunnies there is a wonderful book titled, Bunnies-Bunnies-Bunnies, A Treasury of Stories, Songs and Poems and inside Walter Retan has compiled all your favorites in one delightful book.  

So, curl up on the couch with your child, their stuffed bunny and your favorite bunny book and read!