Customer Reviews

Rabbit Hill (Puffin Modern Classics)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book to accompany the purchase of a rabbit for my son. We used this book for our family's read aloud time. We are already fans of Mr. lawson so it was with high hopes that we began this wonderful book. It is about animals and the hardships creatures encounter as a result of man's carelessness and selfihness. We rarely think about the impact our daily existence has on nature, especially the one that makes up our backyards. When kindly people move into the house on Rabbit Hill, the pooor existence of the animals takes a definite turn for the better. The humans are kind and are able to co-exist with all the different kinds of animals on their property. This book is fun but it an allegory for modern times as well. it ends with the placing of the statue of St. Francis of Assissi in the garden; a powerful reminder that we are stewards of God's creation.

On a hill in the peaceful Connecticut countryside stands an old foursquare house, in which for many years there lived a family of good Folks. They respected the Small Animals that shared their Hill, their children played hide-and-seek with them on warm evenings and their old lady Spaniel even raised an orphaned fox cub. Then they moved away, and hard times fell upon the Hill. The Small Animals, forced to do their "marketing" in Fat-Man-at-the-Crossroads' garden, have wondered for a long time whether they would ever get such Folks again. Now, at last, New Folks are coming, and the question in every Animal's mind is, what kind of Folks will they be?

"Rabbit Hill" is perhaps Lawson's best-known book, though he wrote many that deserve to be returned to print. Based upon the actual hill on which he lived, it follows the adventures of the Rabbit family, Father (a Southern gentleman from the Kentucky Bluegrass who talks like a dictionary), Mother (a chronic worrier), Little Georgie, and the permanently-visiting Uncle Analdas, and their many animal neighbors--Willie Fieldmouse and his vast family, the forgetful Gray Squirrel, Foxy, Phewie the Skunk, old Porky the Groundhog, the Red Deer and his Doe and Fawn, Mole for whom Willie must often "be eyes," and more. His Animals are drawn lovingly and accurately both in words and pictures (he did his own illustrations) and behave recognizably as we might expect them to do if they were intelligent enough to speak to one another. And there's a surprising amount of excitement for such a short book: Georgie's flight from a pursuing dog and his remarkable leap across Dead Man's Brook, the question of whether the Folks will be Good Folks or not, and the aftermath of Georgie's mishap with a car on the Black Road. The close of the tale is heart-warming and beautiful. This is a kids' book to which I return over and over.

Man, this is one awesome book! And if you think I just like it because I'm a kid, you are wrong! This book is great for all ages including the teen age. Rabbit Hill is about a colony of wild animals who live on Rabbit Hill. Next to Rabbit Hill is a house called the Big House with a patch of land for crops. Every year or so, New Folks come to live in the House. The last Folks were bad folks who didn't care for the bustling nature around them and didn't take care of the land. Now that New Folks are coming, everybody is afraid and excited, and soon all kinds of incidents and adventures happen. I'm not going to give away the surprise, but you should read this book. At some parts the talking is a bit like a formal, business style, which makes some parts just a bit confusing. But you'll anyway love it. All kinds of people will love the animals including Phewie the skunk, Willie the field mouse, Little Georgie the rabbit, and more. Like I said, it's not just for little kids, but for all ages.

I read the book Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson and I would rate this book 4 stars.
In the book Rabbit Hill, the Folks that once lived in the Big House have moved away. The Folks that moved in after them let the lawn and garden go to the pits. The animals that live on The Hill are now forced to survive with very little. When word comes around that New Folks are coming, Little Georgie and all the other animals hope they are planting Folks. While Little Georgie goes to get his uncle, he makes up a song. The song's popularity grows within The Hill. Soon everybody was singing along with Little Georgie.
When the New Folks arrive the animals are so happy because they are planting folks! They even made the old garden bigger! The animals all decided to wait to midsummer's eve to pick to crops they need. When Little Georgie gets run over by a car, the Folks take him in to care for him. The animals think they are trying to torture him. Will Little Georgie survive? Will he make it back before midsummer's eve? You'll have to read to find out!
I would recommend this book highly to all age groups!

All the little animals on Rabbit Hill know that New Folks are moving into the Big House. Little Georgie the rabbit tells all the little animals, but they already know. Little Georgie's Mother worries about everything including the New Folks moving in. Father tells Little Georgie to get his Uncle Analdas to come, because he may be lonely. When Little Georgie goes to get his Uncle Analdas, he ends up being chased by a hound dog. He is forced to jump across Deadman's Brook. He jumps and gets across. No rabbit had ever done that before! Little Georgie rests on the bank and makes a song about the new folks coming. Georgie gets his grumpy Uncle Analdas, and they go back to Rabbit Hill. then one day, the new folks come. The animals find out that the new folks are very nice. They have a harmless cat named Mr.Muldoon. The folks are so kind, that they save a fieldmouse from dying. The animals then have a day called Dividing Night. This is when the animals see which animals get what vegetables in the garden. None of the animals can touch any of the food until Midsummer's Eve. Then, that very night, Little Georgie is hit by a car. The new folks take care of Georgie, while the little animals start rumors about what the new folks are doing to Little Georgie. Mother sits in her rocking chair and doesn't get up. When it is Midsummer's Eve none the animals eat food from the garden. If you want know if Little Georgie lives, read the book. Also, if you finish reading Rabbit Hill you may want to read the sequel The Tough Winter.

One great book I've read is Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson. It contains advernture, expression, and animals. There's a skunk (who eats garbage), a red buck, a fox, a mole, fieldmice, a cat, dogs, rabbits, and new Folks. The new Folks don't set out traps, poisons,etc., but grow extra fruits and vegetables for the animals! The new Folks even put up a sign that reads 'Please Drive Slowly on Account of Small Animals'.(Talk about nice!) There are food problems,tragedies, and other plots (such as the main character,Little Georgie, being hit by a car, will he survive?). I enjoyed this book because the plots weren't too serious and they weren't difficult to figure out. If you like stories with happy endings, or stories with animals, you will enjoy this book!

The wide range of Newbery Award winning books never ceases to amaze me. Having finished the intense and revolutionary (ho ho) "Johnny Tremain" I moved onto the next winner in line. This turned out to be "Rabbit Hill" by the incomparable Robert Lawson. Having already garnered an award for the Newbery winning "Adam of the Road", (a book he did not write himself) as well as a Caldecott for the misguided, "They Were Strong and Good", Lawson finally goes whole hog and gets a Newbery for a book he both wrote AND illustrated. "Rabbit Hill" is a charming little tale about a group of small animals of the wild and the farmland they love.

As the book opens, things have been going poorly for the little animals living by a deserted farmland. The house has been empty for years, letting the fields and gardens go to pot in the meantime. Without a steady supply of food, animals are leaving their homes in the hopes of doing better elsewhere. Suddenly gossip begins, suggesting that perhaps the house will be occupied by a new family soon. The chant of "New Folks coming" is taken up by everyone from the fieldmice to the gray fox to our hero Little Georgie the rabbit. Little Georgie is particularly boisterous in his joy, going so far as to fetch his family's Great Uncle Analdus in the hopes that soon there will be plenty of food for all. When the family moving into the house arrives everything seems to be perfect. That is, until a tragic night involving Little Georgie, a dark road, and an oncoming vehicle.

The book seems to have a bit of difficulty figuring out how to characterize the animals in it. On the one hand they're just like any woodland creatures you might find. They rely on storing food for the winter months ahead. They understand the dangers inherent in poisons, cars, traps, dogs, cats, etc. They live in the woods and have the kinds of concerns any animal might have. On the other hand, they seem to own a lot of household equipment (rakes, lunch sacks, rocking chairs, framed prints, etc.). They speak regularly, sometimes to humans. There's even some mention of Willie the Fieldmouse easing his belt a hole or two after copious eating (though the accompanying illustrations make it very clear that the animals do not wear clothing). All in all, this book belongs squarely in the world of Beatrix Potter, more than anything else. It's an odd nebulous world where animals have distinctly human characteristics, yet their relationships to humans and predators remain intact.

As for the story itself, it's very sweet and simple. I don't think you'll find yourself especially blown away by anything it has to say. It doesn't, for example, have the sly wit of "Wind in the Willows" or the political bent of books like, "Watership Down". The story does say one or two good things about prejudice and hatred, but only briefly and at the end. There's also an oblique reference to World War II (the book was originally published in 1944) but that's as trapped in time as it gets. Instead, the book has a timeless quality to it. Should you wish to read it to your kids, I recommend pairing it with the more recent and delightful "Poppy" by Avi. The two would go particularly well together, I think.

"Rabbit Hill" may not strike some as particularly important, but I am certain that there are millions of adults out there with fond memories of Little Georgie's Southern gentleman father (prone to sentences that includes phrases like, "That is precisely the subject on which I wished to consult you"), his curmudgeonly uncle (who avoids kohl-rabi because he doesn't hold with "foreign vittles"), and his perpetually worried mama. The book has a simple lighthearted charm that I'm certain will engross children even today. For some great bedtime reading involving fluffy characters (drawn, I needn't add, expertly by Lawson's steady hand), "Rabbit Hill"'s a good pick. Fun and frolicsome. Frolicsome and fun.

Rabbit Hill is a fun and exciting book. Little Georgie lives in his burrow under the Hill with Mother, Father, and Uncle Analdas in the past. Bad Times have settled over the Hill, because there hasn't been good Folks living there for a long time. How everyone wishes that good Folks would come and have a big garden, a good lawn, and fields of tender grain! One day, Little Georgie comes racing up the hill with news! There are new Folks coming! Everyone is excited but worried, too. Will the new Folks be good or bad? One day, the new Folk's car and moving van comes. They are here! They are planning a new garden too, but it's not done yet. Therefore, one night, Little Georgie has to cross the Black Road to get food. As soon as he gets to the middle, he gets run over. Mother, Father, and Uncle Analdas come running! However, the new Folks get to him first. Everyone is worried that the new Folks are torturing him! I recommend this book to people of all ages. It is an interesting, lovable, and touching story.

New Folks are coming to the Hill! All of the animals are very excited, especially the rabbit Little Georgie. Times have been hard, food scarce - what a change New Folks would provide! But would they be decent Folk, or gun-slingers? The whole Hill watches and waits. The New Folks arrive, and they seem decent people - very decent indeed, and understanding of the needs of Small Animals. And it seems that good times have finally arrived - until something terrible happens to Little Georgie, and the Hill becomes filled with spite. Will good times ever TRUELY come? I love the characters - Father, the prim Southern gentleman with a love of bluegrass, Mother, the chronic worrier, Uncle Analdas, the grumbling bachler rabbit; and of course Little Georgie. I love the illustrations as well!

Subnote: Be sure to buy a copy with the Newbery medal seal displayed on the cover, copies without it cut out all mention of the Folk's black cook, Sulpheria. While she is not an important character, we just can't let censorship get in the way >: -(

Many adults are bound to find this book cloyingly cute, but it really wasn't written for them. I loved this book when I was a child. It tells the story of a young rabbit named Little Georgie, his family, and the community of small animals who live around a run-down farm. When new folks take residence there, the animals are well aware that their lives are about to change in a fundamental way. Are they about to enter a new era of plenty, or will hard times continue?

Reading the book as an adult, the inconsistent characterization of the animals annoyed me a bit. On the one hand, the humans in the story see them no differently than we do their real-world counterparts, suggesting that they possess realistic animal natures. On the other hand, they are clearly creatures of fantasy because author Robert Lawson shows that they can read the English language, own and use implements such as tools and furniture, and are apparently Catholic (since they regard St. Francis of Assisi as their protector). However, none of these anal retentive concerns bothered me as a child. Rather, I was comforted by the safe, cozy life of the animals and the way things always worked out for the best. I appreciate how Lawson's story encourages children to think about how human activity impacts wildlife.