The Gingerbread Rabbit [Hardcover]

Randall Jarrell (Author), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

One morning a mother mixes up some dough and cuts out a gingerbread rabbit to surprise her little daughter. But when the mother puts him in to bake, she gets the surprise of her life. The rabbit jumps to the floor, runs to the door, and disappears into the forest!Fleeing through the forest with the mother close behind, the innocent rabbit gets some surprises of his own. The worst surprise is a "friendly" red animal who says he's a rabbit, too, though he looks just like a fox. The best surprise is a big brown rabbit and a silvery gray one, who live in a cozy cave full of carrots and lettuce -- where they happen to have an extra little bed.Yes, all's well that ends well. The gingerbread rabbit finds himself a happy home, and the mother finds an even better way to surprise her daughter.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Mary's mother has a surprise for her--a delicious gingerbread rabbit. But the real surprises start when this cookie comes to life! The raisin-eyed rabbit, still uncooked on the counter, bemoans his fate to the paring knife, mixing bowl, and rolling pin, when they warn him that nothing has ever escaped from the kitchen without being eaten. When the rabbit spies Mary's mother, just back from the grocery store, a "giant" with "dozens of tremendous shining white teeth the size of a grizzly bear's," he realizes he hasn't a chance. Much to the mother's surprise, her flat, doughy creation makes a run for it! But she wants the gingerbread rabbit for her daughter so much, she races right after him. Garth Williams, illustrator of Charlotte's Web and The Cricket in Times Square captures the chase perfectly with his magical pen-and-ink sketches. Readers will follow breathlessly as the gingerbread rabbit narrowly escapes the guiles of a wily fox, and is finally rescued by an actual rabbit and his wife, who take him into their home to live happily ever after eating lettuce, carrots, and watercress.

This gentle story of a mother's fervent love for her only daughter, and the comical, suspenseful adventures of her rabbit cookie is carefully spun in Jarrell's flawless, slightly tongue-in-cheek prose. A jauntier inanimate rabbit-comes-to-life story than Margery Williams's The Velveteen Rabbit, and a more complex tale than The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Rabbit is a classic read-aloud that youngsters will clamor for again and again. (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson

About the Author

Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) received the National Book Award for his book of poems The Woman at the Washington Zoo. His children's book The Animal Family was named a Newbery Honor Book, and his translation of The Three Sisters was produced by The Actors Studio Theatre. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 55 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; First Edition edition (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062050869
• ISBN-13: 978-0062050861
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,926,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CLEVER and WONDERFUL story for a read aloud! CLASSIC!, March 27, 2005

By 

homeschooler (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gingerbread Rabbit (Paperback)

I can't believe that no one has reviewed this book! What a cute story that is thoroughly engaging for little ones and fun to read out loud as well. The witty storytelling is suburb with just the right amount of suspense and great twists. The narrator even addresses the audience, which definitely adds to the appeal and lends an oral storytelling feel to the experience. It is also noteworthy that there is a happily-ever-after ending for everyone -- no violence in store for the gingerbread bunny! :) The black and white illustrations are adorable as well. My girls 4 and 6 really loved the book and I'm sure we'll be reading it again soon. Extend the fun by baking gingerbread rabbits and recreating the surprise that the mother made for her daughter! It is too bad that a classic like this is apparently overlooked! I will definitely be adding more of Randall Jarrell's books to our collection!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Laugh-Out-Loud Adventure, February 23, 2010

By 

goonius (a room in a house on a street in a city just like any other.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gingerbread Rabbit (Paperback)

I was actually surprised by how good this little story is. I initially bought it while shopping for bunny-themed books as a secular Easter gift for my children, and when I came across this, illustrated by Garth Williams - one of my favorites - I thought, why not?

This is essentially the story of a loving mother who crafts the perfect gingerbread rabbit as a present for her daughter, a rabbit so perfect that he comes to life. As he lays there fearfully pondering his existence, and ultimately his fate - being that he's made of gingerbread and is meant to be a confectionery treat - he becomes engaged in conversation with the various kitchen utensils who've witnessed many a human feeding before. What ensues is a ridiculously funny conversation guaranteed to entertain any young child, and better yet - any adult who is reading this to a young child.

The rabbit, of course, succeeds in escaping his harrowing situation, and the mother follows in a wild chase through the forest, where they both meet with a squirrel, a fox, and eventually the story comes full-circle when the gingerbread rabbit meets up with the very rabbit that inspired his creation. The story ends well for all involved... with the possible exception of the wily old fox.


The illustrations, for me, have that nostalgic Garth Willliams feel to them. They authentically capture the suspense, humor, and sweetness of the story. The story itself was a wonderfully pleasant surprise. I will certainly seek out more of Randall Jarrell's books for my children, especially those illustrated by Maurice Sendak. I am surprised that Jarrell is not a better known children's author, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who comes across the listing for it. Of all the thousands (I'm not kidding - we're library hounds) of children's books I've read in the past few of years, this one would easily earn a spot in my top twenty-odd favorites.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Mischievous, Delicious Magical Fantasy, October 1, 2011

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gingerbread Rabbit (Paperback)

This is a mischievous, fast-paced tale, with elements from The Velveteen Rabbit and The Gingerbread Man blithely borrowed and mingled to spin an entirely new story. In it, a devoted mother plans to surprise her daughter with a gingerbread rabbit, but before she has a chance to bake him, he leaps from the table (having been frightened by the warnings of the paring-knife) and tears out the door. He commences through the forest, pursued by the perplexed mother, and meets a friendly squirrel and a friendly (and deceptive) fox. In the nick of time he is rescued by an adult rabbit, who brings him home to be adopted by his wife. The disappointed mother, having revised her plan to keeping the rabbit as a pet with his own gingerbread house, consults the fox and squirrel on her way home and finally decides to make a stuffed cloth rabbit as a substitute surprise -- so the story ends happily for everyone except the fox.

This is an ideal early chapter book, lighthearted and funny, with witty dialogue and suspenseful, fast-moving action. Garth Williams (illustrator of The Complete Little House Nine-Book Set, The Cricket in Times Square (Chester Cricket and His Friends) and much of E.B. White's work) perfectly captures the whimsical mood of this delicious yarn.