Rabbit Hill

This story was a slow starter for me as an adult; I wonder if my kids would have any patience for it. That would be too bad because the ending is really very sweet.

The illustrations are a delightful compliment, as is the map on the inside cover. That the author was also the illustrator is a nice touch. I noticed (with more interest than I had in the book itself) that Robert Lawson was also the illustrator of a favorite story of mine, Ferdinand. Last week I discovered that Lawson is also the author/illustrator of Ben and Me, which I unsuccessfully tried reading to my son when he was seven or eight. The stuffy prose, well represented in Rabbit Hill by father rabbit's dialogue, turned him off.

For the short read, I didn't mind Rabbit Hill. However, I wouldn't expect my kids to like it and am surprised it merited a Newbery Medal.