Hazel and his brother Fiver are rabbits in a warren that is destined to be destroyed. Fiver is a bit of a prophet and can see the end coming, but can't convince the chief rabbit to move everyone out. Hazel, who believes his brother, decides to get a group of rabbits together and find a new warren. Among the rabbits he takes with him are Dandelion, who is the story teller, Blackberry, the smartest rabbit, and Big Wig, the gruff soldier. They escape as fugitives and embark on a long journey through woods and field to find a new home.
Their problems are numerous as rabbits are the bottom of the food chain and constantly hunted. Throughout the book the history of rabbits through their mythology is explored in detail. Their hero is El Ehrair-rah, or "Prince With a Thousand Enemies", who lives by his wits and continuosly has to trick his enemies in order that his people survive. This is how rabbits must live in order to keep up their numbers in a world where everything is out to get them. Among their adventures they encounter a strange warren, where the rabbits are well fed, although their behavior is strange, and they are hiding a dark and deadly secret. Their main problems come from a warren run by a brutal dictator, General Woundwort, a rabbit stronger and smarter than any rabbit before, who once even killed a fox. They must hatch a plan to rescue as many rabbits as possible from the warren of the General and will take all of the wits and tricks they can muster. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book? - thoughtful Time/era of story - 1960's-1970's Animal story Yes Kind of animal: Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Animal talks/thinks aloud? Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - long lived adults Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - society Age: - long-lived adults Profession/status: How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 () Forest? Yes Farm/Ranch? Yes Farm/Ranch: - farm Writing Style Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |