little grey rabbit's storybook

by Alison Uttley, Margaret Tempest (Illustrator)

Little Grey Rabbit's Storybook (Little Grey Rabbit's Party; Wise Owl's Story; Little Grey Rabbit's Washing Day; Moldy Warp the Mole; Fuzzypeg Goes to School; Little Grey Rabbit's Christmas)

Genres: Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Alison Uttley (17 December 1884 – 7 May 1976), née Alice Jane Taylor, was a prolific British writer of over 100 books. She is now best known for her children's series about Little Grey Rabbit, and Sam Pig.

For more information, please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_U...

http://www.answers.com/topic/alison-u...

Reviews

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across the world of Little Grey Rabbit in an animated series shown on French TV. Little Grey Rabbit is a motherly character who lives in a little house with the scatterbrained Hare and slightly selfish and very girly-girl Squirrel. They have many friends such as Milkman Hedgehog and his son Fuzzypeg, Moldywarp the Mole, and "a crowd of little rabbits." Everyone respects and fears Wise Owl (for obvious reasons), and distrusts the Rat. They have parties, celebrate Christmas in their own fashion, and enjoy good cake.

The illustrations are charming and explain the book's classic appeal. Uttley created these stories for her young son at the turn of the 20th century, and they reverberate strongly with other children's classics of the time, such as Beatrix Potter's books and The Wind in the Willows. However, she did not "copy" anyone; each story is her own. Uttley is also known for her short story collections such as Adventures Of Sam Pig and her fictionalised biography, The Country Child which tells of an England now gone by with its still very pagan beliefs and class divisions.

Perhaps this book wouldn't appeal to media-saturated kids of today, but certainly adults will enjoy the gentle stories and lovely colours if their "inner child" is still alive.

[Thomasin Propson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Best part: the mole’s name is Moldy Warp! And he discovers that the badger has been collecting old Roman and early British artifacts and helps keep his secret trove secret. Pictures are lovely (but remind me too suspiciously much of dear B. P.). I’m not certain (my) littles would be engaged in the stories.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as Beatrix Potter, although I might have felt differently had I read it as a child. I can see why kids would love it, and it would make a good addition to a personal library, but it's not one that I particularly enjoyed at this point.

[Susan Grimshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book which transports you back into an innocent and beautiful world of nature. Sadly today's children are unlikely to understand or appreciate the stories because their knowledge of the countryside and its old customs and its flora and fauna is negligible.

[Lilith Whitelaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book from the local library as it looked sweet. All the stories were pretty cute and reminiscent of peter rabbit. But the one thing that ruined the whole book for me was the last story about the 'gypsy'. It was actually really racist, I know it reflects the attitudes of the time but still, I'm pretty disappointed.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely simple stories about likable characters. Sweet illustrations.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this many times as a child. My husband bought me a copy for my birthday last year, I was soooooo happy. This book brought me great joy and happiness.

[abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cozy and perfect for warm spring days in Edinburgh! The mole called Moldy Warp was the cherry on top