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Fairy Tales Written By Rabbits
A charming animal fantasy novel that will appeal to ages 8 and up with an illustration for each chapter that will appeal to animal lovers of all ages. Proceeds go to supporting the Big Ears Animal Sanctuary in Tasmania.
Rabbits have told stories since the sky dust fell. Heath and his sister Millet are young rabbits struggling with questions that their ancestors never thought to ask.
When a bushfire ravages the warren, Heath and Millet find themselves suddenly isolated in a new land. Other animals are asking questions about the dust, and the unknowable race known as They. Lost in an unfamiliar landscape the rabbits must work with the other inhabitants of this land, which are not all that they seem.
The enigmatic Stares-at-moon reads books, and claims to have seen the unicorn of legend that can guide them home.
But they must be brave. Hidden dangers lurk in the abandoned homes of the They, and the traditional rabbit tactic of simply running will not be adequate. They must adapt and become something more than rabbits if they are to survive.
Rabbits have told stories since the sky dust fell. Heath and his sister Millet are young rabbits struggling with questions that their ancestors never thought to ask.
When a bushfire ravages the warren, Heath and Millet find themselves suddenly isolated in a new land. Other animals are asking questions about the dust, and the unknowable race known as They. Lost in an unfamiliar landscape the rabbits must work with the other inhabitants of this land, which are not all that they seem.
The enigmatic Stares-at-moon reads books, and claims to have seen the unicorn of legend that can guide them home.
But they must be brave. Hidden dangers lurk in the abandoned homes of the They, and the traditional rabbit tactic of simply running will not be adequate. They must adapt and become something more than rabbits if they are to survive.
- GenresAnimals
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2015
3 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 26, 2016
“Fairytales Written by Rabbits” is an enchanting tale written by someone with an obvious love for stories. The opening sequence immediately draws you in and sets the mood, setting up the fairy tale atmosphere and giving the book a quality reminiscent of other classic “animal” stories, which is another feature that is absolutely fabulous about this story, especially for someone who loves animals and who grew up reading tales such as “The Rats of Nimh.”
The main narrative centers around a typical quest – an attempt of the main two characters to return home – but there is so much more at work than that. Much deeper, you will find messages about what it means to be a hero and how anybody can be strong, magical, or brave, no matter who they are. The message is delivered without the usual moralizing you might find in a “kids” book (and I wouldn’t classify this as a kids book, despite the animal protagonists). It’s done in a lovely and subtle way that engages the reader and definitely made me smile towards the end.
One of the great qualities about the book is that it sets up its own mythos, but that it doesn’t feel the need to answer all of the questions it sets forth. It delves into sentiment without melodrama and has plenty of beautifully touching moments. Those with siblings in particular will easily connect with the relationship between the two main rabbit characters as they go on their journey to find home again. The imagery is absolutely perfect as well, and the few illustrations at the head of each chapter were a delight.
While I would have adored the book as a child, I found it just and engaging and enjoyable as an animal-loving adult as well.
The main narrative centers around a typical quest – an attempt of the main two characters to return home – but there is so much more at work than that. Much deeper, you will find messages about what it means to be a hero and how anybody can be strong, magical, or brave, no matter who they are. The message is delivered without the usual moralizing you might find in a “kids” book (and I wouldn’t classify this as a kids book, despite the animal protagonists). It’s done in a lovely and subtle way that engages the reader and definitely made me smile towards the end.
One of the great qualities about the book is that it sets up its own mythos, but that it doesn’t feel the need to answer all of the questions it sets forth. It delves into sentiment without melodrama and has plenty of beautifully touching moments. Those with siblings in particular will easily connect with the relationship between the two main rabbit characters as they go on their journey to find home again. The imagery is absolutely perfect as well, and the few illustrations at the head of each chapter were a delight.
While I would have adored the book as a child, I found it just and engaging and enjoyable as an animal-loving adult as well.
April 27, 2021
I'm honestly really conflicted about this book: so much so that I've put off this review for months after reading it. The ideas are great and the writing is good, too - there's a five- or at least four-and-a-half star book in here, and I came very close to genuinely loving it. But - the proofreading is bad enough that it seriously interferes with readability. I don't mean occasional typos; I mean "you have to fight your way through syntax errors several times per chapter".
(So knock a star off for that and this book that I honestly liked very much is suddenly a three-and-a-half star book, which feels awfully low for a book with such truly excellent ideas in it! This is why the delay. I've ended up averaging those out for a solid 4, which... feels kind of high for a book with this many errors in it, but still kind of low for the book it could have very nearly been?)
So, verdict: if you're willing to put up with having to rearrange punctuation in your head a whole bunch, it's very much worth the read. If not - it honestly depends on how unwilling you are. It's worth reiterating that the writing style is good and the prose is fluid, post mental rearranging; it just takes that extra bit of effort that means this very good book is anything but relaxing, and not in a good way.
(So knock a star off for that and this book that I honestly liked very much is suddenly a three-and-a-half star book, which feels awfully low for a book with such truly excellent ideas in it! This is why the delay. I've ended up averaging those out for a solid 4, which... feels kind of high for a book with this many errors in it, but still kind of low for the book it could have very nearly been?)
So, verdict: if you're willing to put up with having to rearrange punctuation in your head a whole bunch, it's very much worth the read. If not - it honestly depends on how unwilling you are. It's worth reiterating that the writing style is good and the prose is fluid, post mental rearranging; it just takes that extra bit of effort that means this very good book is anything but relaxing, and not in a good way.
April 7, 2019
This book aims high, and while it doesn't QUITE reach it's loftiest literary goals, it was still a rather fun read, and I do look forward to the sequel.
The book is set in Australia (and perhaps specifically Tasmania?), after some sort of apocalypse. A bomb went off and all humans either died or just...disappeared? Or, perhaps, transformed in some manner? This book leaves things a bit unclear, so I do hope that the sequels explain things. Honestly, I think the mystery of the humans interests me more than the story of the rabbits and other animals! I mean, did the humans
That said, the rabbits are pleasant focuses for the narration. There's a bit of growth for each of them, though nothing too complex. After all, they are rabbits. Or are they? What ARE rabbits, in this new world?
My biggest issue with this book is the formatting. And perhaps that formatting extends to a misunderstanding of grammar. There's not really any indenting, making it difficult to tell if a new paragraph has begun. In addition, paragraphs don't seem to begin when they should, particularly in relation to dialogue. I've been taught that, when someone else begins speaking, it should be done on a new paragraph. In this book, quite often (especially in the beginning), the new person will talk at the end of a paragraph, AFTER which a new paragraph begins. It doesn't make the book unreadable, but it doesn't feel right.
I do hope that the author works through the paragraph-break issue for the next book, so things will be easier for readers. And I hope hope HOPE that
The book is set in Australia (and perhaps specifically Tasmania?), after some sort of apocalypse. A bomb went off and all humans either died or just...disappeared? Or, perhaps, transformed in some manner? This book leaves things a bit unclear, so I do hope that the sequels explain things. Honestly, I think the mystery of the humans interests me more than the story of the rabbits and other animals! I mean, did the humans
That said, the rabbits are pleasant focuses for the narration. There's a bit of growth for each of them, though nothing too complex. After all, they are rabbits. Or are they? What ARE rabbits, in this new world?
My biggest issue with this book is the formatting. And perhaps that formatting extends to a misunderstanding of grammar. There's not really any indenting, making it difficult to tell if a new paragraph has begun. In addition, paragraphs don't seem to begin when they should, particularly in relation to dialogue. I've been taught that, when someone else begins speaking, it should be done on a new paragraph. In this book, quite often (especially in the beginning), the new person will talk at the end of a paragraph, AFTER which a new paragraph begins. It doesn't make the book unreadable, but it doesn't feel right.
I do hope that the author works through the paragraph-break issue for the next book, so things will be easier for readers. And I hope hope HOPE that
February 14, 2018
What a delightful and surprising little book! So, I picked this book up after following Dr. Ferox (the author's alter ego) on Tumblr and YouTube for awhile and really liking her willingness to explain things to lay people and her general no-nonsense demeanor. (And the stories about her cat - I am a hardcore Wonka and Trashbag fan)
For some reason, I was expecting the title to be a bit more literal - meaning, I thought the book was going to be a compendium of literal fairytales told by rabbits. Like, what buns tell their little buns in the depths of the warren at night. What this actually was was much better than that. It was a story about sentience, kinda? But also a story about a post-apocalyptic world, populated solely by animals? But also a simple quest story about a brother and sister with a dragon and a unicorn... It had layers and it was really, really good.
So, I don't wanna give too much away, but the story largely hinges on the concept that humans are gone and animals experienced some sort of sky dust that gave them the ability to think "unrabbitlike" thoughts. This leads to increased attack smarts by predators, but also leads to selflessness and clever escapes. Instinct gives way to abstract thought and planning. Also, there's a rat who can read and it's lovely.
I will say, this book frequently went waaaaaay darker than I was expecting (but I had this same reaction to Watership Down, so maybe I just need to expect more from bunny books). There was one scene in particular . Yeah. That was a thing. I'm pretty sure it was meant to startle the reader and remind them of the stakes of the story, but OH BOY it did indeed do that.
The ending was magical and the story had a depth that I wasn't expecting in a book about rabbits and their fairytales. Oh, and the chapter titles were little bits from Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and the NIHM book. That should give you a better idea of the slippery, haunted, magic tone of this book than the little bunny myths I was expecting.
So, yeah, it was super. You can get it on Amazon. Go read it yesterday.
For some reason, I was expecting the title to be a bit more literal - meaning, I thought the book was going to be a compendium of literal fairytales told by rabbits. Like, what buns tell their little buns in the depths of the warren at night. What this actually was was much better than that. It was a story about sentience, kinda? But also a story about a post-apocalyptic world, populated solely by animals? But also a simple quest story about a brother and sister with a dragon and a unicorn... It had layers and it was really, really good.
So, I don't wanna give too much away, but the story largely hinges on the concept that humans are gone and animals experienced some sort of sky dust that gave them the ability to think "unrabbitlike" thoughts. This leads to increased attack smarts by predators, but also leads to selflessness and clever escapes. Instinct gives way to abstract thought and planning. Also, there's a rat who can read and it's lovely.
I will say, this book frequently went waaaaaay darker than I was expecting (but I had this same reaction to Watership Down, so maybe I just need to expect more from bunny books). There was one scene in particular . Yeah. That was a thing. I'm pretty sure it was meant to startle the reader and remind them of the stakes of the story, but OH BOY it did indeed do that.
The ending was magical and the story had a depth that I wasn't expecting in a book about rabbits and their fairytales. Oh, and the chapter titles were little bits from Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and the NIHM book. That should give you a better idea of the slippery, haunted, magic tone of this book than the little bunny myths I was expecting.
So, yeah, it was super. You can get it on Amazon. Go read it yesterday.
March 15, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It blends naturalistic, fantasy, and science-fiction elements in an interesting way, leaving a feeling of uncertainty and wonder about what is really going on that fits the story and its overarching theme of questioning and looking deeper. There are homages to other animal books, such as Watership Down and The Last Unicorn.
I do think this book would benefit from a good copy-editing. There are some grammatical mistakes and awkward phrasing. The point of view shifts occasionally in a way that I sometimes found confusing. There are also a few inconsistencies, such as referring to an animal character as "he" and then later as "it." I was left wanting a fuller exposition of the back story and the ultimate explanation for some of the events, but I can also appreciate why, with this particular story, that isn't given.
I do think this book would benefit from a good copy-editing. There are some grammatical mistakes and awkward phrasing. The point of view shifts occasionally in a way that I sometimes found confusing. There are also a few inconsistencies, such as referring to an animal character as "he" and then later as "it." I was left wanting a fuller exposition of the back story and the ultimate explanation for some of the events, but I can also appreciate why, with this particular story, that isn't given.
December 31, 2015
The perfect Christmas gift (from a kind friend) and a very worthwhile book to see out 2015. For the love of all creatures great and small, visit http://www.bigearsanimalsanctuary.com/ or https://wwwfacebook.com/bigears.sanct....
November 30, 2015
I really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews