From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3Lilly's depiction of the English countryside is quite charming, but Mayne's text is tedious. A seemingly peaceful meadow camouflages a myriad of dangers for Bryn, a wild hare. With the help of a raven, larks, pewits, and curlews, and with more than a little luck, Bryn manages to elude a spring trap, foxes, and hunters with hounds and guns before she reaches the dale on the other side of the Great Field. The tale may be an extended metaphor for the tension between hunter and hunted, or a simple fable whose moral is that the young hare should have heeded the warnings of her feathered friends. In either case, excess verbiage obscures the message. Lilly's realistic watercolor illustrations, with sepia-inked outlines, create an atmospheric setting for Bryn's adventures, although the changing perspective at times presents problems as to the relative sizes of animals and birds. So many events happening in Great Field make it difficult for young readers to focus on Bryn's narrow escape. For a story of a plucky English rabbit, rediscover Potter's Tale of Peter Rabbit.Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
