The Rabbits

by John Marsden

Book Overview

Illustrated by Shaun Tan. Bestselling author, Marsden, has created a dramatically moving allegory of colonisation told from the perspective of native animals, in this stunningly illustrated volume. Examining the consequences of the arrival of a group of rabbits with unfamiliar ways, the story shows how colonisation can result in the domination of the environment and its other inhabitants. A thought-provoking book, it earned its author and illustrator...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0968876889
• ISBN13: 9780968876886
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Simply Read Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.5" x 12.6"
• Age Range: 7 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 10

Customer Reviews

The best...

In my humble opinion, I don't think it's an overstatement to say Shaun Tan is the finest illustrator of our time. He accomplishes SO much in the space given, yet it's never cluttered or busy. His attention to detail & lush palette make me envy naked eyes about to view his work for the first time. An absolute treasure...

Beautiful

Shaun Tan is one of the most talented artists in the picture books/graphic novels. This short book with huge pictures stands as one of his best. Each image is full of small details, beautiful colors, and creativity. It may be too dark for young children but anyone who enjoys beautiful paintings or art in general should find something to love in this book. If you would like to see more of Shaun Tan's work I highly recommend his recent graphic novel release: The Arrival. It reads like an old silent film and there's no one else's words to get in the way.

Scooping up the field mice, and bopping them over the head

First of all, I'm going to admit right here and now that I was seriously depressed as a child by Dr. Suess's, "The Lorax". A great book with a great story and a great moral and it brought me down low. But that's okay. I got over it. I was doing all right. Then I idly picked up John Marsden's, "The Rabbits" in my local lending library. Suddenly all the feelings I'd ever felt after reading "The Lorax" were back, but stronger. I came to the realization that this book was better than the Seussian creation. It carries a different message, but the idea behind the tale (and the method of teaching it) is the same. Once you've read "The Rabbits", you can't unread it. It sticks in your brain and you start to see its scenes replaying themselves in your mind at the oddest of times. The best word I can conjure up to describe this book is "haunting". It's like nothing you've ever read before. To read this book requires understanding a little about its background. Originally published (as far as I could ascertain by the nationalities of the author and illustrator) in Australia, the book is about the effects of colonization. As you may recall, rabbits were once a foreign species that was introduced to the Australian wildlife with disastrous results. Devouring the native resources and spreading like mad, both they and cane toads are considered dangerous pests. Taking that idea as a starter, we follow the arrival of civilized rabbits on a vaguely Australian-like land. The story is told from the point of view of some brown curly tailed spear carrying native animals. As the book begins the native animals say, "At first we didn't know what to think. They looked a bit like us. There weren't many of them". Time passes and more and more rabbits come to the land. They build their own kinds of houses and introduce their own animals. When the native creatures (bush babies, perhaps?) fight back they loose because there are too many rabbits. The rabbits destroy the land and (in the worst and most heart-wrenching scene in the book) they, "Stole Our Children". Rabbit driven planes fly away with little baby creatures in kites trailing behind as they parents run along the ground, their arms extended. In the end, the land is bare and all the animals are gone. In a final picture, a native creature sits across from a rabbit next to a tiny puddle that reflects the stars, the ground littered with trash. The animals asks, "Who will save us from the rabbits?" Sad? You don't know the half of it. It was delightful seeing how many details in this tale were particular to the Australian aboriginal people. The fact that their children were taken by the white settlers to be taught in white schools. Pictures of the fights (natives destroying the rabbit proof fences). Symbols repeat in illustration after illustration. The rabbit's flags look British, until you realize that the lines on them are arrows pointing everywhere. The guns and houses of the rabbits are

An outstanding allegory picture book story

The Rabbits is a powerful and attention engaging picture book story by John Marsden with an underlying environmental message and drawn from the environmental experiences of the inhabitants and wildlife of Australia. An allegory of colonization, The Rabbits shows how a vast number of rabbits take over a land, strip it of its resources, multiply, and poison the earth by their sheer numbers. Unforgettable, stylized illustrations Shaun Tan lend a dark touch to this portrayal of unchecked and destructive tendencies. "Who will save us from the rabbits?" is the ultimate question arising from this outstanding allegory picture book story that parallels such widespread contemporary ecological experiences arising from the overwhelming onset of unbalanced industrialization, unremediated environmental damage, and unrestrained population growth.

A simple parable with wonderfully complex artwork.

Shaun Tan's amazing artwork for 'The Rabbits' tells you everything you ever needed to know about Australian history in glorious colour and astonishing detail. This is not only a must-read for children, but for adults - worthy to share space on your bookshelf with Raymond Briggs's 'When the Wind Blows' and 'The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman' on one side, and fat volumes of Goya and Hieronymus Bosch on the other. Superb.