One Runaway Rabbit

by David Metzenthen

One pet rabbit. One dark night. One hungry fox. A wonderfully entertaining picture book about a clever pet rabbit on the run.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Friendship

24 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2019

About the author

As a child, David Metzenthen was a nature boy; he loved fishing and farm work, exploring the bush, and being outdoors under the stars. He also lived very much inside his own head; feeling that the world was a place of unlimited adventure. He harboured dreams of becoming a cowboy, a fisherman, a farmer, a sailor, or a writer. Instead he left home at eighteen, with a copy of Jack Kerouac's On the Road for company, and hitch-hiked his way around New Zealand. Returning to Australia, David worked as a builder's labourer and advertising copy writer before finding success as a writer of books for children and young adults.

David Metzenthen now lives with his wife and two children in Melbourne and is one of Australia's top writers for young people. He has received many awards for excellence, including the 2000 CBCA Book of the Year Award: Older Readers for Stony Heart Country, a 2003 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Wildlight, and a 2003 Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Boys of Blood and Bone. In 2004, Boys of Blood and Bone also won a NSW Premier's Literary Award and was an Honour Book in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards: Older Readers. His novel Black Water was an Honour Book in the 2008 CBCA Book of the Year Awards: Older Readers, and Jarvis 24 won the CBCA Award for Book of the Year: Older Readers in 2010, as well as being shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award, WA Premier's Literary Award, Inky Awards and SA Festival Awards for Literature.

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, with only a few words, but lots of action in the pictures.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful tale of adventure when a young pet rabbit escapes through a hole in the fence and goes exploring around her suburban neighborhood. Chased by a hungry fox, Lulu employs a clever trick while observing the neighbours and traversing the block and a busy road.
The story is simply told in three word sentences that young readers will be able t0 read themselves. However, Metzenthen's sparse text is superbly embellished with Murphy's detailed and textured pencil illustrations and together they tell a spell-binding story of adventure. Double page spreads, some wordless, convey a wealth of story detail and the illustrations are totally engaging with slightly stylised bodies that convey a wealth of expression. The amazingly de

I loved the inclusion of the bird's eye view and neighbourhood map endpapers showing before and after the journey.
Shortlisted for the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood award, this one is well up there for a win.

[Margot · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a wonderful story, the strength of the story is the evocative and lively illustrations that, coupled with the minimal text, make it an ideal book to excite the imagination of the reader, young and old.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very basic book with just a few words per page.

[Christine Meunier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and minimal but repetitive words to boost early reading confidence. A lovely story.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated book. There are very few words and a lot aren't needed. Just wonderful.

[Jess64 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short sentences.

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This almost-wordless picture book follows a rabbit on a night adventure, being chased by a fox.

[Andries van Wyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book - love it.
Such beautiful art.