Rabbit Hill

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Summary: A young rabbits life of learning and play
Review: Georgie is a young rabbit whose life we share. There are good times and bad times... and the fear of terrible danger lurks, as in the dog. Especially since the old house is being occupied by "new folks", the animals are unsure. Will the "new folks" be good or bad for the animals that live around the house? Will Georgie survive the car accident and what have the "new folks" done with him? It is a sweet book with a sweet and kind ending. Kids can identify with Georgie... it's been forty years since my Mom shared this book with me.. times can get hard but there are always "new folks comin'" If you cried when Charlotte the spider died in CHARLOTTE'S WEB, you'll love Rabbit Hill.

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Summary: A good book to read!
Review: I enjoyd reading Rabbit Hill. Robert Lawson brought the animals to life in this story. Little Georgie captures your heart. The news is "New Folks are coming" and all the animals who live there hope that they are planting people. Good book for children in grades 4 and 5.

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Summary: What a wonderful story & illustrations!
Review: I first read this book when I was about seven years old (longer ago than I care to remember). I just re-discovered it while rambling through the children's section of the library. Robert Lawson's love of animals and the outdoors is evident in not only his story, but in his illustrations. The characters truly "come to life". In all of Mr. Lawson's books, he was able to bring life and color to the animals who are frequently the focus and narrators of his tales. If you enjoyed this book, its sequel "The Tough Winter" is also worth a look as well. I can't wait to read "Rabbit Hill" to my nephew - I know he'll love it! Great CLASSIC children's book!

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Summary: New Folks a Comin'
Review: One great book I've read is Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson. It contains advernture, expression, and animals. There's a skunk (who eats garbage), a red buck, a fox, a mole, fieldmice, a cat, dogs, rabbits, and new Folks. The new Folks don't set out traps, poisons,etc., but grow extra fruits and vegetables for the animals! The new Folks even put up a sign that reads 'Please Drive Slowly on Account of Small Animals'.(Talk about nice!) There are food problems,tragedies, and other plots (such as the main character,Little Georgie, being hit by a car, will he survive?). I enjoyed this book because the plots weren't too serious and they weren't difficult to figure out. If you like stories with happy endings, or stories with animals, you will enjoy this book!

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Summary: This book was very interesting and exciting.
Review: Rabbit Hill is a fiction book about a family of many rabbits and their animal friends. The rabbit's names are Little Georgie, Mama, Papa, and Little Georgie's little brothers and sisters. Unfortunatly the rabbits and the other animals live in the backyard of people who are not kind to animals. The people put guns and gases down the animal's dens. Finally, the word is spread that new folks are coming. Every animal is happy except Mama, who is still nervous. To find out if Mama ever does trust the new folks, and if the new folks are nice to all the animals, you should read the book.

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Summary: Didn't fly as a read-aloud story
Review: Rabbit Hill is a pleasant enough story, but it didn't hold the attention of my boys (ages 5 and 7) as well as many other chapter books that I have read to them. Some of the characters are very verbose, especially Father Rabbit, who is infamous for giving long, overly formal speeches about everything. Maybe a somewhat older child wouldn't mind reading through those dialogues, but as I was reading it aloud, I kept wondering, "Are the kids as anxious as I am for this bunny to get to the point?!?" Sometimes I think the vocabulary and style of writing interfered with my children understanding what was otherwise a very sweet story whose message was very appropriate for young children.

The other thing that I didn't like was toward the end of the story, after Georgie gets hit by a car and The Folks take him into their house. Uncle Analdas gets very suspicious and tries to convince all the other animals that The Folks are holding Georgie hostage and will torture him if the animals eat anything from the garden. The Folks had already done many kind things for the animals, including caring for a mouse that almost drowned in a rainbarrel. So Uncle Analdas' hate-mongering didn't seem to fit well into the story. Maybe it was intended to add some drama, but to me it was just some unnecessary ugliness.

A librarian recomended this book for us, but I think it would be better for a child who is around 9 years old. The characters are likeable enough and the story, while a bit predictable, has a gentle, positive message.