Two Hundred Rabbits
AuthorLonzo Anderson
IllustratorAdrienne Adams
Cover artistAdrienne Adams
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
Publisher
Publication date
1968[1]
Media typePrint
Pages32[1]
OCLC305341

Two Hundred Rabbits is a 1968 children's picture book written by Lonzo Anderson and illustrated by Adrienne Adams, about a medieval boy who summons forest rabbits with a special whistle. Published by Viking Press in the United States, it received critical acclaim.

Synopsis

In the land of Jamais (inspired by medieval France),[3] a young boy wants to participate in his village's annual festival, but must find a special way to entertain the king to do so.[4] After an old lady recommends he make a "slippery-elm slide whistle", the boy summons a group of 199 rabbits from the nearby forest with it.[5] All of them—along with a traveler who has been following the boy all along[4]—march to the king's castle to delight him;[5] of the 200 in front of him, the traveler is revealed to be the narrator of the story.[1]

Development

The premise of Two Hundred Rabbits was based on a dream that author Lonzo Anderson had after reading a French folk tale.[6] "My wife [Adrienne Adams] loves the story," he told The Courier-News in March 1968, "but while illustrating it, she rather plaintively wished it had fewer characters."[6] Anderson's childhood experiences during the turn of the 20th century would anticipate the creation of the book; he stated in 1972 that, owing to the time he spent unsupervised outdoors, "I grew up rather like a rabbit, barefoot, with the freedom to wander far and wide and learn about nature by being up to my chin in it."[7][8]

Themes

The tune the boy uses to summon the rabbits "is reminiscent of the music played by the Pied Piper. But this story has a different twist."[6] The twist at the end of the tale was also noted in a 1976 issue of the Language Arts journal: "It is told in the first person, but you are not sure until the final page who is telling the story."[9] As The New York Times noted eight years earlier, "[this is] probably the only fairy tale in existence told from a rabbit's eye view."[3]

Release

Two Hundred Rabbits was published in early 1968 by Viking in the United States,[6] and by Macmillan in Canada.[2] During its original release (which coincided with Easter), Adams' illustrations were exhibited at the FAO Schwarz toy store in New York City.[6] As of 2023, the original publication elements are held among Anderson's papers in the Children's Literature Research Collections of the University of Minnesota Libraries,[10] and those of Adams in the de Grummond Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi.[11]

Reception

Two Hundred Rabbits received critical acclaim on its original print run. Its artwork was praised by Marc Drogin of Munster, Indiana's The Times;[12] Margaret H. Cone in a 1969 issue of Young Children;[13] and the staff of TIME magazine.[14] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books gave it an "R" ("Recommended") grade, declaring that "The writing style is brisk and unassuming; the illustrations are delightful in their depiction of the colorful scenes of fifteenth-century [settings]."[1] As Drogin opened his review, "Little kids should have a fine time with this, and you won't even mind reading it to them."[12] TIME called it "first-rate",[14] while Harriette Behringer of Chicago's Star newspapers wrote, "[Anderson and Adams] have written a delightful book...[which] has a special kind of charm for kindergarten and primary children."[15] For Regina, Saskatchewan's The Leader-Post, Kathleen Graham said, "The entertaining story and full-page colored illustrations combine to make this little story a distinctive one."[2]

Two Hundred Rabbits was also a selection of the Junior Literary Guild,[16] as well as an ALA Notable Book.[17] Adams also considered it one of her favorite projects as an illustrator.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Titles for Children and Young People: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. University of Chicago Press. 21 (9): 137–138. May 1968. Retrieved April 4, 2023 – via HathiTrust.
  2. 1 2 3 Graham, Kathleen (March 30, 1968). "This week I read: Small Fry Fare: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". The Leader-Post. p. 25. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 Lanes, Selma G. (May 5, 1968). "Picture Books". The New York Times. p. BRA54. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  4. 1 2 Martin, Patricia Miles (June 30, 1968). "The Young Might Like...: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". The Fresno Bee. p. 27-F. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Brunk, Charlotte (April 25, 1968). "Children's Books: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". Des Moines Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 P.T. (March 16, 1968). "Couple Writes Child's Book About Rabbits". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, New Jersey. p. 14. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Lonzo (1972). "Lonzo Anderson". In de Montreville, Doris; Hill, Donna (eds.). Third Book of Junior Authors. The H.W. Wilson Company. p. 16. ISBN 0-8242-0408-5. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Archive.org.
  8. ↑ Smaridge, Norah (1977). "Adrienne Adams and Lonzo Anderson". Famous Literary Teams for Young People. Dodd, Mead and Company. pp. 92–93. ISBN 0-396-07407-3. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via Archive.org.
  9. ↑ Farmer, Lillah (May 1976). "Rabbits in Children's Books". Language Arts. National Council of Teachers of English. 53 (5): 528. ISSN 0360-9170. JSTOR 41404198. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via JSTOR.
  10. ↑ "Catalog record: Two Hundred Rabbits, 1968 (John Lonzo Anderson Papers, CLRC-1118)". Children's Literature Research Collections. University of Minnesota Libraries. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Adrienne Adams Papers (Collection Number DG0004)". de Grummond Collection. University of Southern Mississippi. June 2001 [March 1991]. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Drogin, Marc (May 5, 1968). "Time for Light Reading Here: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". The Times of Munster, Indiana. p. 15A. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Cone, Margaret H. (January 1969). "Review: Two Hundred Rabbits". Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children. 24 (3): 186. ISSN 0044-0728. JSTOR 42658488. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via JSTOR.
  14. 1 2 "TIME Listings". TIME. Vol. 91, no. 22. May 31, 1968. pp. 2–3. Retrieved April 6, 2023 – via EBSCO.
  15. ↑ Behringer, Harriette (April 4, 1968). "Brief Looks at Junior Books: Two Hundred Rabbits Good Book for Easter". Park Forest Star. p. H-4. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.
  16. ↑ Ward, Martha E.; Marquardt, Dorothy A.; Dolan, Nancy; Eaton, Dawn (1990). "Anderson, John Lonzo 1905–". Authors of Books for Young People (3rd ed.). Scarecrow Press. p. 16. ISBN 0-8108-2293-8. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Archive.org.
  17. ↑ "1960s – ALA Notable Books for Children". UNK Research Guides: Handy Topics in the Curriculum Department (Calvin T. Ryan Library). University of Nebraska at Kearney. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
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