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Watership Down: Gift Picture Storybook
Book A beautifully illustrated gift picture storybook edition of this classic tale, tying in with the animated TV mini series on the BBC and Netflix. About the Richard Adams (1920 - 2016) was an English novelist best known as the author of Watership Down, first published in 1972. He served in the British Army during the second world war, and then joined the civil service. He originally began telling the story of Watership Down to his two daughters during long car journeys and they insisted it he publish it as a book. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and went on to sell millions of copies throughout the world. In 1975 Adams was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an award-winning author and screenwriter. Millions, his debut children's novel, won the CLIP Carnegie Medal. He is also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, Cosmic, Framed and The Astounding Broccoli Boy. His books have been shortlisted for a multitude of prizes, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Whitbread Children's Fiction Award (now the Costa Book Award) and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth was shortlisted for the 2017 CILIP Carnegie Medal. Along with Danny Boyle, Frank devised the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. Frank is a BAFTA nominated screenwriter (Hilary and Jackie) and a BIFA winning screenwriter (Millions). He has written for the hit TV series Dr Who, and is the screenwriter for the 2017 film, Goodbye Christopher Robin.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
48 pages, Hardcover
Published November 29, 2018
18 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Frank Cottrell Boyce
77 books263 followersFrank Cottrell Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor.
In addition to original scripts, Cottrell Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction, winning the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his debut, Millions, based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name.
His novel Framed was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year as well as the Carnegie Medal.
He adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. His 2009 novel Cosmic has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
He is married and the father of seven children.
In addition to original scripts, Cottrell Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction, winning the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his debut, Millions, based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name.
His novel Framed was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year as well as the Carnegie Medal.
He adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. His 2009 novel Cosmic has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
He is married and the father of seven children.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 26, 2024
Urgh, just no. What would Richard Adams say to this?! This shouldn't even exist.
Makes me want to drop everything and reread the original (please don't even LOOK at this book if you haven't! Yuck!).
For the record - this was in the book bins at the library. I even tried to flip past it, but it was spotted and chosen. The pain....
Might as well use this review to promote the artwork of Etsy artist Sarah Coomer (I'll edit this later if I mispelled her name. Edit: Nope, had it right: SarahCoomerShop on Etsy). She had a Black Rabbit of Inlé print once which I didn't buy and immediately wished I had. If you see it listed again, please let me know. (I also missed out on her The Box of Delights Christmas cards... sigh. Maybe this year!)
Makes me want to drop everything and reread the original (please don't even LOOK at this book if you haven't! Yuck!).
For the record - this was in the book bins at the library. I even tried to flip past it, but it was spotted and chosen. The pain....
Might as well use this review to promote the artwork of Etsy artist Sarah Coomer (I'll edit this later if I mispelled her name. Edit: Nope, had it right: SarahCoomerShop on Etsy). She had a Black Rabbit of Inlé print once which I didn't buy and immediately wished I had. If you see it listed again, please let me know. (I also missed out on her The Box of Delights Christmas cards... sigh. Maybe this year!)
October 29, 2025
“And most of all, they care for each other. So fear will never be their master.” — perhaps the most heartfelt line in this edition. Other quotes that stood out to me include:
“Fear is a useful servant but a terrible master.”
“The rabbits in her warren had been fed by the farmer for so long they had forgotten their rabbit tricks, their wildness, even their stories.”
“They were not the strongest rabbits, or the trickiest. They were all afraid. But they believed in each other.”
“They helped each other. This was their great new power.”
Watership Down has always been a heartfelt and innocent tale, and this picture book perfectly captures its essence. The illustrations are engaging and tender, beautifully complementing the story’s message. Throughout, the themes of love, care, trust, and kindness remain strong — a reminder that courage and compassion are what truly keep fear at bay.
The only reason this isn’t a full five stars is because it’s a retelling rather than the original novel, but as a gift edition, it’s deeply moving and wonderfully faithful to the spirit of Adams’s classic.
“Fear is a useful servant but a terrible master.”
“The rabbits in her warren had been fed by the farmer for so long they had forgotten their rabbit tricks, their wildness, even their stories.”
“They were not the strongest rabbits, or the trickiest. They were all afraid. But they believed in each other.”
“They helped each other. This was their great new power.”
Watership Down has always been a heartfelt and innocent tale, and this picture book perfectly captures its essence. The illustrations are engaging and tender, beautifully complementing the story’s message. Throughout, the themes of love, care, trust, and kindness remain strong — a reminder that courage and compassion are what truly keep fear at bay.
The only reason this isn’t a full five stars is because it’s a retelling rather than the original novel, but as a gift edition, it’s deeply moving and wonderfully faithful to the spirit of Adams’s classic.
August 2, 2022
This was more of a recap of the latest BBC remake of Warership Down. It used still images from the movie and it blended surprisingly well with the other illustrations.
However, because it was more of a novelization of that movie, it was very basic in its story telling and lost out on the emotion.
I would still benefit from going back and reading the original as it was intended, I think.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
However, because it was more of a novelization of that movie, it was very basic in its story telling and lost out on the emotion.
I would still benefit from going back and reading the original as it was intended, I think.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
March 10, 2019
A great introduction to the basics of the story. It doesn’t sugar coat the darker issues, yet it doesn’t ignore them either; they just are not explicitly discussed.
April 29, 2020
Nostalgia
May 6, 2021
Loved this adaptation. Illustrations are taken from the Netflix TV series and you can imagine the epic journey that Hazel and his band of rabbits went through.
Read
December 18, 2022Gather round as an old rabbit tells a tale to younger rabbits.
October 31, 2022
After my niece was provided this book for her consumption I chose to check it out for myself just to see if it would actually hold up to the original book. And it was quite an adventure to find this book while the librarian was looking at me like I was daft for seeking out this children's book.
The story itself is a thin and very stripped down carcass of the original story while being told to the reader as if they are one of the warren's young rabbits who are listening in. As such a glossary is included in the front of the book for some of the rabbit terms that were used in the original by Richard Adams as well as a characters page so the reader can possibly figure out which rabbit is being mentioned in the story if they should get confused.
The illustration for the book has three different styles occurring with a muted natural colors palette to showcase the rabbits as they are listening to the story. Meanwhile the other two styles derive from the telling of Watership Down in a copy of the 1978 classic film although the telling of rabbit lore isn't as brightly colored or stylized as in that older film but instead is reminiscent of many other films that tell the story of ancestors such as Balto 2 or Brother Bear just to name a few examples off the top of the head.
And unfortunately the remainder of the story's illustrative style and the most predominant is the horrible CGI. The rabbits are hard to tell apart at least from my own perspective of looking at the book even with the character help although the background is gorgeously done. And this is just a tragedy at least in my opinion.
All in all this is definitely one version that I cannot vouch for although I guess in a sense it does its job by introducing young watchers and readers to Watership Down although to what loss with its clean-up and horrid CGI characters?
The story itself is a thin and very stripped down carcass of the original story while being told to the reader as if they are one of the warren's young rabbits who are listening in. As such a glossary is included in the front of the book for some of the rabbit terms that were used in the original by Richard Adams as well as a characters page so the reader can possibly figure out which rabbit is being mentioned in the story if they should get confused.
The illustration for the book has three different styles occurring with a muted natural colors palette to showcase the rabbits as they are listening to the story. Meanwhile the other two styles derive from the telling of Watership Down in a copy of the 1978 classic film although the telling of rabbit lore isn't as brightly colored or stylized as in that older film but instead is reminiscent of many other films that tell the story of ancestors such as Balto 2 or Brother Bear just to name a few examples off the top of the head.
And unfortunately the remainder of the story's illustrative style and the most predominant is the horrible CGI. The rabbits are hard to tell apart at least from my own perspective of looking at the book even with the character help although the background is gorgeously done. And this is just a tragedy at least in my opinion.
All in all this is definitely one version that I cannot vouch for although I guess in a sense it does its job by introducing young watchers and readers to Watership Down although to what loss with its clean-up and horrid CGI characters?
June 17, 2023
Know what you are purchasing, read the description carefully!
I wanted to purchase a copy of the original book written by the original author as I gave my first copy away many years ago. I thought I was purchasing the complete novel but to my dismay this was not what I bought. While the pictures are beautiful I really wanted to experience the entire story again and would never give it away. Unfortunately, I was too excited to read exactly what I was purchasing and was very disappointed when I received a very short version, lovely artwork but I wanted the entire story. . .
I wanted to purchase a copy of the original book written by the original author as I gave my first copy away many years ago. I thought I was purchasing the complete novel but to my dismay this was not what I bought. While the pictures are beautiful I really wanted to experience the entire story again and would never give it away. Unfortunately, I was too excited to read exactly what I was purchasing and was very disappointed when I received a very short version, lovely artwork but I wanted the entire story. . .
February 11, 2020
Not having read the original Watership Down, this book was slightly confusing for myself and my children. It was, however, a well written book and the illustrations were beautiful.
January 3, 2025
Una obra maestra, para todos los públicos
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews