Customer Reviews

Who's in Rabbit's House?

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Let's play a free association game. I'll say a word and you tell me the first thing that pops into your brain. Ready? Okay, here it goes... FROG. What'd you come up with? Probably something like "green" or "warty" or "ribbit". If you were feeling particularly creative you may have said "kiss" or "Kermit" or "delicious". It's safe to say that one word that did not enter your brain was "gleeful". "Tricky" also didn't make the cut, I'm certain and "smart-alecky" was probably farthest from your mind. Yet after reading Verna Aardema's remarkable, "Who's In Rabbit's House", these were the words I derived after a single reading. It's a remarkable story, and if nothing else, this is one book that'll give its child readers a whole new appreciation of froggy-kind.

What we have here is a play within a play. In this book, a group of Masai actors don animal masks and prepare for a performance of some kind. At first, we see them getting ready and we view their audience as well. Once the play starts a small prologue at the beginning of the book puts it best when it says that, "the perspective shifts and he reader becomes the real audience to this unique performance". Better still, the animal masks take on a new life of their own, showing all sorts of emotions that they would not have displayed otherwise. The story may be a familiar one to you. This particular version comes from the Masai tale, "The Long One" found in author Aardema's collection, "Tales For the Third Ear From Equatorial Africa". In the tale, a rabbit leaves its home and then comes back to find it locked up. Inside, a voice roars that it is The Long One, that it can eat trees, and that it is particularly skillful at trampling elephants. Rabbit attempts to get help for the problem, but rejects Frog's offer right from the start. This frees up Frog to linger, watch the action, and laugh at the many failed attempts to roust The Long One. Jackal, Leopard, Elephant, and Rhinoceros all have solutions, but these tend to consist of destroying Rabbit's home. Finally, Frog returns with a clever ploy and scares The Long One (now shown to be merely a boastful caterpillar) out of the house. Everyone has a good laugh, but none so heartily as Frog.

The combination of Aardema's talented storytelling alongside the artwork of illustrator-gods Leo and Diane Dillon was a match made in heaven. To this day I don't know why this book isn't better known. It has all the elements of a great tale. First of all, Aardema has (according to a small note on the publication page) "combined repetition of key phrases with authentic African ideophones to produce a rhythmic read-aloud text which preserves the essential flavor of an African tale". Maybe so. All I know is that there's a wonderful sense of rising and falling action in this tale. Aardema is good at bringing the tension to a climax in which Frog reveals the villain to be nothing more than a tiny creature. The Dillons, for their part, engage in a kind of artwork completely different from later books like "The People Could Fly" or even "Rap A Tap Tap". The Masai characters are mere outlines, with beautifully detailed jewelry and faces that evoke a feeling of masks. Their masks, on the other hand, are sometimes cartoonish but always eye-catching. They express emotions in a fantastical way that no real mask could ever do. As a result, Frog has this perpetually amused expression on her face while Rabbit looks put-out most of the time.

If you want the logical companion to this book, you must seek out storyteller Luann Adams' "The Tricky Caterpillar and Other Tales" CD. Adams brings the title tale, very similar to this one, to shocking and riveting life. You could do far worse that to accompany your storytelling with a smattering of Adams' accomplished voice. Also, if you find that your child readers are intrigued by Masai culture and wisdom, consider reading aloud to them some selections from the beautifully written, "Our Secret, Siri Aang" by Cristina Kessler. All in all, these will bring "Who's In Rabbit's House" a little more background and a little more color. This book stands beautifully on its own, I should note. A must-have for any child's personal library.

This is an amazing story! My dad used to read it to me every night before I went to sleep and every time I would be on the edge of my seat waiting for the end. Now there are about 15 kids in my neighborhood I babysit, and I always bring it. They love it too. I even memorized it for a speech I had to do where we had to tell kids a story, and it was a hit. "Who's in Rabbit's House" is about a Rabbit who can't get in to her house. Verious animals come by to try and get the creature out and finally the smallest animal does. So who IS in Rabbit's house anyway? Read it and find out!

We found this by chance at the library and it is now one of our favorite books. During the three weeks we had the book we read it over 20 times and looked through it often. And we've checked it out a few times since then, too. Hmm, maybe we should buy it!

My boys have acted out the story repeatedly and I hear them quietly reciting the story to themselves.

The pictures are fantastic - bright, beautiful, so full of life. The text is superb and has a wonderful moral as well.

You will love this book and so will your kids.

Who's in Rabbit's House kept my 4 year old on the edge of his seat. When read with different voices for each character it is even more fun. The end was a suprise and gave us all have a good laugh.

We enjoyed this story very much. It is written as a story of a play that is taking place. The pictures are fantastic. Someone is in rabbit's house and will not let him in. Frog has figured it out but rabbit will not listen to him. Frog enjoys watching the trouble as the other animals try to help rabbit out. Finally out of exasperation Rabbit asks for Frogs help. This was a very fun book. Recommended for ages 6-9 years.

my 5 year old son loves this story and its surprise ending!

the play within a story framework is very clever but may be too complicated for very young children to follow

mjdykstra
mother & book lover

I love this story. My children enjoy it. Its great for children at bedtime. It is actually a play....thats how the story is being told.

Must add to your library of African tales!!

Who's in Rabbits House is one of those few book that people of all ages can enjoy. The book is beautiful to look at, the illustrations informative and clever. (Check out the lions.) It reads aloud beautifully, and even the youngest reader can be given a part to become part of the experience. The cultural contect is respectfully presented. The reader becomes one who learn that of the Masai vilagers that strength is less important than intelligence.

Awww this book was good. I work as a student aide in my school library and the pictures caught my eye so I read it. Good pictures funny story.

I first read this book when I was 6, and fell in love with the story and beautiful pictures. I never tired of reading it and missed it terribly when it was lost during a move. Now I am buying one for my daughter, who is 6, and hopes she likes it as much as I did.