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Rabbit's Gift
Snow is coming, coming soon, so Rabbit needs to find food fast. Just in time, a turnip turns up, and a second one, too. Who in the woods wouldn't want to tuck away an extra turnip for the long winter? Not Rabbit. He chooses a different path--and starts a wave of generosity that spreads among all his forest friends.
Admired picture-book team George Shannon and Laura Dronzek have created a heartwarming tale about the true meaning of friendship.
Includes an author's note and a chart that translates the Chinese calligraphy in the book.
Admired picture-book team George Shannon and Laura Dronzek have created a heartwarming tale about the true meaning of friendship.
Includes an author's note and a chart that translates the Chinese calligraphy in the book.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
George Shannon
57 books25 followersGeorge Shannon is a popular storyteller and former children's librarian whose many notable picture books include Tomorrow's Alphabet, Lizard's Guest, and White Is for Blueberry. Tippy-Toe Chick, Go!, illustrated by Laura Dronzek, was named a Charlotte Zolotow Award Honor Book. George Shannon lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
December 22, 2018
This is a beautiful book on the joys of giving. Great for kids.
November 15, 2019
This is a great folk tale about sharing and friendship. I really enjoyed the illustrations and the repetition of the text. Great read-aloud for 4-6 y/o, with either a sharing theme or winter.
November 20, 2008
Genre: Folktale Reading level: Ages 3-7
Re-gifting, frowned upon during birthdays and holiday times, finds respect in this Chinese folktale. Rabbit is cold and hungry and knows that he must find food for the coming winter. When he finds a great treasure, an extra turnip, he graciously decides to share it with a friend. Donkey isn’t home, so Rabbit leaves the gift for him to find upon her return. Donkey is surprised by this generous donation, but feels that there might be someone who needs it more than she. Again, it is left outside the door for Goat is away. Goat fears that the turnip may have been lost and deposits it on the doorstep of Deer, who, having found a nice carrot, feels that it is greedy to keep it for herself. Ultimately, the turnip finds its way back to Rabbit and is shared by all. For the youngest readers in the group, this folktale from China offers a few sentences per page, sight words, and repetitive phrases that make it easy read on their own. George Shannon states in the source note that, although the first version he found attributes the story to China, there are similar narratives found in many other countries. Laura Dronzek’s large full-color acrylic illustrations offer an excellent choice for story time reading. The characters featured in the story are introduced with a pillar of turnips topped by the Chinese symbol for their name. The snow-filled scenes convey the chilly landscape, the loving expressions on the animals, and the busy activities of the friends in this woodland community.
Other stories of food and generosity:
Jamie O’Rourke and the big potato: an Irish Folktale, Tomie DePaola
The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales, Jon Scieszka
Stone soup: an old tale, Marcia Brown
Re-gifting, frowned upon during birthdays and holiday times, finds respect in this Chinese folktale. Rabbit is cold and hungry and knows that he must find food for the coming winter. When he finds a great treasure, an extra turnip, he graciously decides to share it with a friend. Donkey isn’t home, so Rabbit leaves the gift for him to find upon her return. Donkey is surprised by this generous donation, but feels that there might be someone who needs it more than she. Again, it is left outside the door for Goat is away. Goat fears that the turnip may have been lost and deposits it on the doorstep of Deer, who, having found a nice carrot, feels that it is greedy to keep it for herself. Ultimately, the turnip finds its way back to Rabbit and is shared by all. For the youngest readers in the group, this folktale from China offers a few sentences per page, sight words, and repetitive phrases that make it easy read on their own. George Shannon states in the source note that, although the first version he found attributes the story to China, there are similar narratives found in many other countries. Laura Dronzek’s large full-color acrylic illustrations offer an excellent choice for story time reading. The characters featured in the story are introduced with a pillar of turnips topped by the Chinese symbol for their name. The snow-filled scenes convey the chilly landscape, the loving expressions on the animals, and the busy activities of the friends in this woodland community.
Other stories of food and generosity:
Jamie O’Rourke and the big potato: an Irish Folktale, Tomie DePaola
The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales, Jon Scieszka
Stone soup: an old tale, Marcia Brown
January 23, 2008
Sweet illustrations. The story expresses the message of sharing and giving without driving home the moral with a sledgehammer, and is told in a way that is just right for preschoolers.
June 25, 2012
This is a Chinese folktale where Rabbit is cold and hungry and knows that he must find food for the coming winter. When he finds a great treasure, an extra turnip, he graciously decides to share it with a friend. Donkey isn’t home, so Rabbit leaves the gift for him to find upon her return. Donkey is surprised by this generous donation, but feels that there might be someone who needs it more than she. Again, it is left outside the door for Goat is away. Goat fears that the turnip may have been lost and deposits it on the doorstep of Deer, who, having found a nice carrot, feels that it is greedy to keep it for herself. In the end, the turnip finds its way back to Rabbit and is shared by all.
This book is aimed at KS1 children - imparting the importance of sharing, offering a few sentences per page, sight words, and repetitive phrases that make it easy to be read independently.
This book is aimed at KS1 children - imparting the importance of sharing, offering a few sentences per page, sight words, and repetitive phrases that make it easy to be read independently.
June 8, 2019
I loved this cute story so much that I used it as a read aloud and will use it again in the future. This story is about a little rabbit who is in search of food for the winter and all of a sudden a turnip shows up and so he passes it along to his friend moose who then passes it onto goat who then passes it onto deer. Deer finally returns it to rabbit who rabbit does not know where it came from. Rabbit decides to share the turnip with all of his friends. This is a great circular type story and has beautiful illustration. It can be used in the classroom as a read aloud to engage students.
January 13, 2017
Lovely Chinese fable about kindness and giving to others who are in need. The acrylic paint illustrations are colorful and the characters are cartoonish.
We liked seeing the Chinese characters and appreciated the translation at the end of the story. It's a short and simple tale and we enjoyed reading it together.
We liked seeing the Chinese characters and appreciated the translation at the end of the story. It's a short and simple tale and we enjoyed reading it together.
December 30, 2017
Adorable! Would make a lovely storytime book.
September 25, 2024
📌 Crux: A short parable on sharing
+ being thoughtful + taking as per your need, not greed.
It is about to snow in the forest, the animals are busy searching for some extra food to stash. On a day like that, who wouldn't like to find an extra turnip to be tucked away for later when the food is scarce? Not the Rabbit, who makes a surprising choice, and his choice starts a wave of generosity that spreads rapidly amongst his forest pals. What I liked the most about this book - how evaluating if we need more comes before having to give it away.
No matter how many books about sharing you read to your preschooler, asking them to share a toy they want & NEED in that moment, it is going to be hard. So, encouraging to reflect on if they really need more of something is easier to comprehend & more doable than expecting a 2 year old to be altruistic.
📌 Audience Age Group - 2 years and above, preschoolers, anyone trying to build a read aloud routine with their little ones.
* The story is simpler. Only a couple of sentences per page.
* Repetitive nature of the sentences will expose little ones to vocabulary and sentence structure.
Books with the similar themes - sharing instead of hoarding, thoughtfulness and generosity ( for kids aged 3 & above ) :
1. Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
2. The Whale Who Wanted More by Rachel Bright and Jim Field.
If your little one is not yet ready for books involving animals and predation, they will surely enjoy this one. Happy Reading!
+ being thoughtful + taking as per your need, not greed.
It is about to snow in the forest, the animals are busy searching for some extra food to stash. On a day like that, who wouldn't like to find an extra turnip to be tucked away for later when the food is scarce? Not the Rabbit, who makes a surprising choice, and his choice starts a wave of generosity that spreads rapidly amongst his forest pals. What I liked the most about this book - how evaluating if we need more comes before having to give it away.
No matter how many books about sharing you read to your preschooler, asking them to share a toy they want & NEED in that moment, it is going to be hard. So, encouraging to reflect on if they really need more of something is easier to comprehend & more doable than expecting a 2 year old to be altruistic.
📌 Audience Age Group - 2 years and above, preschoolers, anyone trying to build a read aloud routine with their little ones.
* The story is simpler. Only a couple of sentences per page.
* Repetitive nature of the sentences will expose little ones to vocabulary and sentence structure.
Books with the similar themes - sharing instead of hoarding, thoughtfulness and generosity ( for kids aged 3 & above ) :
1. Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
2. The Whale Who Wanted More by Rachel Bright and Jim Field.
If your little one is not yet ready for books involving animals and predation, they will surely enjoy this one. Happy Reading!
October 19, 2023
Generosity, Kindness, Friendship
"Rabbit's Gift" is a picture book by George Shannon. The story focuses on a heartfelt act of generosity. The main character is Rabbit who chooses to share a turnip she discovers in the snow. She passes on the turnip to a friend and when she does so, everyone decides to pass on the turnip to a different friend. The gift keeps going back and forth in this cycle of giving until it returns to Rabbit.
"Rabbit's Gift" illustrates the meaning of a fable as well as an animal folktale. Within the genre of animal folktales, the story uses animal characters to portray human traits and acts. The animals in this book are used to share important life lessons in a fun and understandable way.
The story also meets the requirements for being a fable because of its obvious moral lesson. The lesson of generosity is highlighted by sharing the turnip and the follow up positive outcomes. Readers learn the value of selflessness from the animals in the story, which provides a moral lesson.
"Rabbit's Gift" is a picture book by George Shannon. The story focuses on a heartfelt act of generosity. The main character is Rabbit who chooses to share a turnip she discovers in the snow. She passes on the turnip to a friend and when she does so, everyone decides to pass on the turnip to a different friend. The gift keeps going back and forth in this cycle of giving until it returns to Rabbit.
"Rabbit's Gift" illustrates the meaning of a fable as well as an animal folktale. Within the genre of animal folktales, the story uses animal characters to portray human traits and acts. The animals in this book are used to share important life lessons in a fun and understandable way.
The story also meets the requirements for being a fable because of its obvious moral lesson. The lesson of generosity is highlighted by sharing the turnip and the follow up positive outcomes. Readers learn the value of selflessness from the animals in the story, which provides a moral lesson.
September 14, 2017
The rabbit is getting ready for winter and finds two turnips but she was so considerate and gave one of her turnips to another animal friend. Then the other animal who was also warm hearted like her and gave the turnip to the other friend. Finally the turnip ends up at the rabbit’s house and they share the turnip altogether. This is a cute story but the story is too obvious to appeal to students so that teacher may be hard to motivate students, and this tale from China but I could not find any particular thing in this story related to China. Meanwhile it is good story for its theme sharing is caring.
April 5, 2022
This story is about a rabbit and his friends. They think that other animal friends will be in a difficult time searching for food in the winter. So they keep delivering a turnip to the other. The repetitive patterns of the texts let the child guess the following events and texts. The illustrations create the warmness of the good heart of the animal characters.
February 11, 2023
I give so many books four stars. In a worse mood, I might break the pattern for this, as it is so slight. But it has back matter, revealing that the bones of the story are universal. And the length and complexity are perfect for the very young, who need to learn lessons about sharing 'early and often.'
March 9, 2023
I enjoyed this book! I thought the story was very interesting and a book for children to read with a great lesson of looking out for other.
This book is a folktale that seems to have originated in China, the author acknowledges this by putting the Chinese symbol for each animal. This is a Beast tale because the whole book is about animals who do human like things.
This book is a folktale that seems to have originated in China, the author acknowledges this by putting the Chinese symbol for each animal. This is a Beast tale because the whole book is about animals who do human like things.
March 13, 2021
Love this folk tale of a rabbit who has 2 turnips, but needs only 1, so shares the other with a friend, who passes it on to someone who might have more need, who passes it on, etc.
It gives us a lovely picture of a community of people who care for each other.
It gives us a lovely picture of a community of people who care for each other.
July 7, 2018
A sweet story of sharing that can be used with SS and SD. Daddy and SD may enjoy that it is based on a Chinese fable.
October 20, 2018
This folktale retelling has a sweet, almost "Gift of the Magi" feel it to it. Would probably be too long for my usual storytime crowd, but would be great for my adopt-a-class.
December 22, 2018
This is a wonderful story about animal friends sharing their food during a heavy snowfall.
December 26, 2018
Relatable folktale for young children about the kids of being generous. Author note explains the origin of the tale. Text easy to read with lots of white space.
February 8, 2019
Nothing about this folktale really says "Chinese" to me, but it's a good story about sharing when you have enough.
March 1, 2019
Cute story featured in a sharing themed storytime.
March 8, 2019
I love this story about what to do when you have enough. Beautiful illustrations in acrylic paint.
October 7, 2019
This book has a good message.
November 17, 2020
Beautiful artwork, warm story more or less about "paying it forward". Interesting little history about the history of said tale.
October 29, 2021
Sweet little book.
June 5, 2023
Lovely retelling of a folktale, vibrant artwork. About generosity, sharing, and community.
July 12, 2023
The pictures are cute and the story is wholesome, but the writing style wasn't my favorite. The sentence structure was somewhat choppy and didn't flow.
December 6, 2023
This is a wonderful story of sharing and friendship.
January 11, 2025
Cute winter book about friendship
February 29, 2016
Title: Rabbit’s Gift: A Fable From China
Author: George Shannon
Illustrator: Victor Juhasz
Genre: Non-European Folktale
Theme(s): Kindness, Paying it Forward, Friendship
Opening line/sentence:
Rabbit twitched his nose in the cold, damp air.
Brief Book Summary:
When Rabbit senses that snow is coming, he quickly finds food that he will be able to eat before going home. He finds two turnips, and decides to leave one on Donkey’s doorstep after realizing that Donkey may not have been able to find a meal yet. Donkey did, however, and decides to pass the turnip on to Goat with the same concern in mind. This pattern of generosity continues until the turnip ends up back on Rabbit’s doorstep, and the friends all come together to share the turnip as a group.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Randall Enos (Booklist, Nov. 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 5))
Based on an ancient folktale, this picture book is a gentle story of sharing and friendship. When it begins to snow, Rabbit scurries to collect food and is fortunate to find two turnips. Realizing that one turnip is plenty for his own needs, he decides to share the other with Donkey, leaving it at Donkey’s door after discovering that Donkey isn t home. Donkey, in turn, leaves the turnip at Goat’s door. Goat leaves it for Deer who leaves it for Rabbit, thinking Rabbit hasn't found much food in the deep snow. In the end, Rabbit shares the extra turnip with all three friends. A brief author’s note discussing the source of the tale, which may have originated in China, is followed by four Chinese symbols that represent the animals. The uncluttered illustrations, many framed in purple to compliment the purple of the turnip, perfectly capture the action of the story. The expressive faces of the animals are charming, and the thickly applied colors add a richness to the pictures that make them seem cozy despite the wintry backdrop.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2008)
Snow is coming, coming soon, and Rabbit must hurry to his home before it falls. First he must find food, and he happily unearths not one but two turnips! Thinking that Donkey might not have found a meal before the snowfall, Rabbit deposits the extra vegetable as a gift on her doorstep. Donkey, returning home with a potato, decides to pass the turnip on to Goat for the very same reason. The circular fable continues until the turnip returns to Rabbit’s doorstep. Not knowing who to thank, Rabbit brings his friends together to share it. Gorgeous paintings reflect the warmth of each animal’s generous gesture in a winning tale that will delight and satisfy.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
As both reviews agree on, this uplifting tale is sure to delight readers of all ages with its charming characters and overall message. Both the text and accompanying images are clear cut, and in no way overwhelmingly decorative, as Enos (2007) points out. With that being said, I do feel that it wouldn’t hurt to have the text be a bit larger so that audience members can more easily engage with the text in a read-aloud situation.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The repetitive behavior the protagonists exhibit throughout the book allows readers to quickly catch on to the pattern in the plot and easily predict what is going to happen next. These opportunities for involvement ultimately make for a very interactive literary experience. The charming way in which the animals are depicted in each illustration not only helps students develop positive perceptions of the natural world, but encourages them to be kind individuals in all aspects of life, as well.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This is an ideal text for a preschool or Kindergarten setting. I would select this text to share as a read-aloud, as I feel the plot is very easy to engage with and thus, I could use varying prompts throughout the telling of the story to initiate brief discussions about the characters, their behavior, and what may happen on the next page. The predominant question I would ask students to contemplate both before and after the read-aloud is: “Why do you think Rabbit and his friends are behaving the way they are behaving?” This is a great text to introduce at the start of the year when going over how students and teachers should treat one another in the classroom.
Author: George Shannon
Illustrator: Victor Juhasz
Genre: Non-European Folktale
Theme(s): Kindness, Paying it Forward, Friendship
Opening line/sentence:
Rabbit twitched his nose in the cold, damp air.
Brief Book Summary:
When Rabbit senses that snow is coming, he quickly finds food that he will be able to eat before going home. He finds two turnips, and decides to leave one on Donkey’s doorstep after realizing that Donkey may not have been able to find a meal yet. Donkey did, however, and decides to pass the turnip on to Goat with the same concern in mind. This pattern of generosity continues until the turnip ends up back on Rabbit’s doorstep, and the friends all come together to share the turnip as a group.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Randall Enos (Booklist, Nov. 1, 2007 (Vol. 104, No. 5))
Based on an ancient folktale, this picture book is a gentle story of sharing and friendship. When it begins to snow, Rabbit scurries to collect food and is fortunate to find two turnips. Realizing that one turnip is plenty for his own needs, he decides to share the other with Donkey, leaving it at Donkey’s door after discovering that Donkey isn t home. Donkey, in turn, leaves the turnip at Goat’s door. Goat leaves it for Deer who leaves it for Rabbit, thinking Rabbit hasn't found much food in the deep snow. In the end, Rabbit shares the extra turnip with all three friends. A brief author’s note discussing the source of the tale, which may have originated in China, is followed by four Chinese symbols that represent the animals. The uncluttered illustrations, many framed in purple to compliment the purple of the turnip, perfectly capture the action of the story. The expressive faces of the animals are charming, and the thickly applied colors add a richness to the pictures that make them seem cozy despite the wintry backdrop.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2008)
Snow is coming, coming soon, and Rabbit must hurry to his home before it falls. First he must find food, and he happily unearths not one but two turnips! Thinking that Donkey might not have found a meal before the snowfall, Rabbit deposits the extra vegetable as a gift on her doorstep. Donkey, returning home with a potato, decides to pass the turnip on to Goat for the very same reason. The circular fable continues until the turnip returns to Rabbit’s doorstep. Not knowing who to thank, Rabbit brings his friends together to share it. Gorgeous paintings reflect the warmth of each animal’s generous gesture in a winning tale that will delight and satisfy.
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
As both reviews agree on, this uplifting tale is sure to delight readers of all ages with its charming characters and overall message. Both the text and accompanying images are clear cut, and in no way overwhelmingly decorative, as Enos (2007) points out. With that being said, I do feel that it wouldn’t hurt to have the text be a bit larger so that audience members can more easily engage with the text in a read-aloud situation.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
The repetitive behavior the protagonists exhibit throughout the book allows readers to quickly catch on to the pattern in the plot and easily predict what is going to happen next. These opportunities for involvement ultimately make for a very interactive literary experience. The charming way in which the animals are depicted in each illustration not only helps students develop positive perceptions of the natural world, but encourages them to be kind individuals in all aspects of life, as well.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
This is an ideal text for a preschool or Kindergarten setting. I would select this text to share as a read-aloud, as I feel the plot is very easy to engage with and thus, I could use varying prompts throughout the telling of the story to initiate brief discussions about the characters, their behavior, and what may happen on the next page. The predominant question I would ask students to contemplate both before and after the read-aloud is: “Why do you think Rabbit and his friends are behaving the way they are behaving?” This is a great text to introduce at the start of the year when going over how students and teachers should treat one another in the classroom.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews