This Sunday is Lunar New Year, which is celebrated by 20% of the world’s population, and sees the Year Of The Rabbit begin (or the Cat if you are in Vietnam), so I have chosen some of my favourite literary rabbits for this week’s Friday Library Recommendations.
But before we get to the rabbits, let’s find out All About Lunar New Year. Kevin Tsang and Linh Nguyen have teamed up to tell us all about one of the most significant holidays celebrated across Asia. This beautiful book is filled with crafts and recipes, fun activities and facts about the Lunar New Year celebrations observed by over ONE BILLION people.
Read about the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac and learn why they’re so important to the Lunar New Year as well as the other stories behind this festival. Children can also create magical decorations, plan for the wonderful year ahead and make delicious treats!
Now to the Rabbits! First up is John Bond’s Mini Rabbit. Whether Mini Rabbit Not Lost or Mini Rabbit Come Home, these adorable stories are bound to raise a chuckle as our little friend is determined to succeed without help…
Mini Rabbit is making a cake. Cake, cake, cake! But he’s run out of berries. No berries, no cake. No cake? No way!
So off he goes to look for some… He’s not cold, not too small. And, no, no, definitely NOT LOST… or is he?
Mini Rabbit is making a camp in the garden. He can’t wait. It’s going to be the BEST DAY ever! But there are still a few last things he needs to get, and it looks like it might rain. Will Mini Rabbit ever manage to get everything home in time?
Next we have The Royal Rabbits Of London, where adventure begins for brave little Shylo and his Royal Rabbit friends in this charming series from bestselling authors Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore and illustrator Kate Hindley, that proves even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero.
Life is an adventure. Anything in the world is possible – by will and by luck, with a moist carrot, a wet noise and a slice of mad courage! Shylo has always been the runt of the litter, the weakest and quietest of all of his family. His siblings spend their days making fun of him for not being like the rest of them. But when Shylo stumbles across a band of ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie, it’s up to this unlikely hero to travel to London and inform the Royal Rabbits of London about the diabolical plot! The Royal Rabbits have a proud history of protecting the royal family and now the secret society need to leap into action to stop the ratzis… But can a rabbit as feeble and shy as Shylo convince them that Queen is in danger?
The Legend Of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood has some of the bravest rabbits in literary history in a story that starts an epic adventure across the Five Realms.
Podkin is the son of a warrior chieftain. He knows that one day it will be up to him to lead his warren and guard it in times of danger. But for now, he’s quite happy to laze around annoying his older sister Paz, and playing with his baby brother Pook. Then Podkin’s home is brutally attacked, and the young rabbits are forced to flee. The terrifying Gorm are on the rampage, and no one and nowhere is safe. With danger all around them, Podkin must protect his family, uncover his destiny, and attempt to defeat the most horrifying enemy rabbitkind has ever known.
And finally, but I couldn’t possibly celebrate rabbits without talking about Watership Down by Richard Adams. This was one of my absolute favourite books when I was in primary school. It made me laugh and cry, and taught me a lot about faith and social justice.
In this epic story, a young rabbit called Fiver senses that something terrible is about to happen to the warren – he is sure of it. Fiver’s sixth sense is never wrong according to his brother, Hazel. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all…
Wishing all of our families celebrating Lunar New Year a wonderful weekend!
Happy reading, and don’t forget to keep voting for your favourite book in the Coventry Inspiration Book Awards 2023 – Coventry City Council if you don’t want it to be voted out!