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Two Hundred Rabbits

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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.

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

Synopsis

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c d e "New Titles for Children and Young People: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 21 (9). University of Chicago Press: 137–138. May 1968. Retrieved April 4, 2023 – via HathiTrust.
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Lanes, Selma G. (May 5, 1968). "Picture Books". The New York Times. p. BRA54. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Brunk, Charlotte (April 25, 1968). "Children's Books: 'Two Hundred Rabbits'". Des Moines Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e 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. 53 (5). National Council of Teachers of English: 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. ^ a b "Adrienne Adams Papers (Collection Number DG0004)". de Grummond Collection. University of Southern Mississippi. June 2001 [March 1991]. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  12. ^ a b 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. 24 (3). National Association for the Education of Young Children: 186. ISSN 0044-0728. JSTOR 42658488. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via JSTOR.
  14. ^ a b "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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