Customer Reviews

Fifteen Rabbits

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Although Fifteen Rabbits is, in short, about a bunch of rabbits hangin around in the forest, it is still one of the best books I have ever read. It isn't just a cutesie bunny-rabbit-frolicking-in-the beautiful forest-type book, either. In fact, a lot of the scenes are too complex or disturbing for young children to read. This ain't the Disney version of Bambi, folks.

In Fifteen Rabbits, we learn about all of the adventures that our two good rabbit friends Hops and Plana (think Bambi and Faline) get into. Salten has once again marvelously written a novel that is supposedly for children, but can actually be more well-appreciated by adults. I cried so much over little Epi's death. The scenes are so sorrowful that you actually think that you are losing one of your good friends. :-)

PLEASE go out and read Fifteen Rabbits. Although I've never figured out why Salten gave his book that title, it will still be one of the very very best books you will ever read!!

Hops and Plana play together in the spring when they are just little bunnies,but the next spring they are playing together in a slightly different fashion.Felix Salten has a wonderful sense of nature and tells his animal stories in a truly sincere fashion.The rabbits celebrate life-and there are many rabbits who survive dangers like hunters,captivity and predators-and,as in life,a few who do not survive.Hops is the only survivor, in fact,of a litter of rabbits.(Read the story to learn why this is so.)There are cameos by Bambi and Faline.Gobo is even mentioned.It is easy to see why Salten's animal stories can be loved by children and adults.

If you loved the story of Bambi, you will also enjoy this book about the lives of a small group of rabbits. This was written in much the same vein as Bambi, so expect some sorrowful scenes as well as wonderful uplifting scenes. Well worth the effort to find! I still have my copy from 1981 if that tells you anything!!

This book is rare and at times beautiful, but rather tragic. It follows a group of forest-dwelling rabbits--mainly the brooding Hops and his female friend Plana--over the course of a year. As Hops grows from a rabbit kitten to a young adult, he encounters other forest creatures. He experiences the joys and sorrows of living free but in constant danger, particularly from "He"--Man. Any happy events are immediately followed by a tragic occurrence. There is a lot of death and suffering, more than in Bambi, I would say. Although this is realistic of the characters' situation, it leaves the reader wishing that these personified rabbits had more to hope and fight for than a few years of joy, sorrow and constant fear.

Fifteen Rabbits is similar to Bambi, but it has a weaker and more disjointed plot. Salten uses some lovely imagery in his poetic descriptions of the seasons and the forest. The creatures and story are full of passion and emotion. They give you things to think about, and sometimes wisdom. Fortunately, the ending is not a let-down.

Book is like Saltens others gives us a glimpse of beauty and hardships that abound in nature. A flight of nature fantasy and a reality of the struggle for survival. Beautifully written.