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My daughter very much wants to see something RABBIT related make its way into the curriculum! We are finishing up LHFHG, which of course had Peter Cottontail as one of the Burgess read-alouds. And the Beatrix Potter book is coming right up! (We are very much doing school this summer.)

But what about rabbits in Beyond? Can anyone think of how I can work in some rabbits into the read-alouds? I'm thinking maybe a "caring for rabbits" type book for the non-fiction. I guess the Velveteen Rabbit is a thought--is it too deep/sad for a six-year-old?

Rabbits? I don't remember any rabbits being scheduled in Beyond, but there is a cricket, a mouse, and a cat in A Cricket in Times Square. I don't know of a non-fiction work about rabbits. Perhaps someone else does. One book I loved growing up is Watership Down. It's a book about a warren of rabbits and their struggles as their habitat is being destroyed by development It would be in the fantasy or adventure genre and I it might be too advanced even as a read aloud for a younger child. It's been so long since I read it, I can't really remember everything it entails. I know I read it in sixth grade though and loved it. You could check it out over the summer from the library and pre-read it and see it would be suitable. She would probably really love it if it is ok for a six year old.

The Little Rabbit by Judy Dunn is a very sweet book about a young girl and her rabbit.
The book has real-life photographs and a cute story line.
I think The Velveteen Rabbit, as you mentioned, is a great choice as well. We have that title in print and audio CD as well. Great story.

Candice

How about:

Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny (It is scheduled as a Folk Tale DITHOR book in Level 2)

Also, Rabbit Hill is scheduled in Bigger as a classical read aloud option...you could probably use with Beyond, and then select a different Fantasy book for read aloud in Bigger.

How about Gingerbread Rabbit with illustrations by Garth Williams?
Also, how about Brer Rabbit?


The Velveteen Rabbit, my children loved at your daughter's age!

What about a Rabbit lapbook?? My son has been working on the Peter Rabbit lapbook from In the Hands of a Child. He has loved it. I noticed that they also have one entitled Rabbits.

Thank you for the helpful replies! I will put those books on my shopping list. I think a Cricket in Times Square will be a good choice for us, as well.

Pjdobro--I love Watership Down! I also read it in 6th grade, but it is too hard/deep for her age. Some of it is really scary. I mean, I would say it's definitely a "higher" level than, say, the Wizard of Oz, and I had to water down parts of that when we read it. Actually, I re-read Watership Down a few years ago, and I realized that the different rabbit societies that the Sandleford rabbits encounter could be viewed as allegories to fascism, communism, etc. A quick peek at the Watership Down article on wikipedia and the words, "the timeless struggles between tyranny and freedom, reason and blind emotion, and the individual and the corporate state" are why I'd like to save it for when she's older. (Although it also says that Richard Adams denied it was an allegory or a political myth. Maybe he just doesn't like pesky reporters!)

Thank you again for the help!

If I remember right, Gail Gibbons had a great nonfiction book about rabbits.

Wow, I didn't remember all the details about Watership Down. Sixth grade was more years ago than I care to count. I wonder if I got the political allegory at the time I don't remember that so it may have just gone over my head. I will have to read it again someday. I have it on my shelf upstairs, but I don't find much time to read just for fun these days. Thanks for your input on this. After I wrote the post last night I started thinking about the book and wondering if it is one that I could use this year as a read aloud for my dc. It sounds like it would be way too much for them too. It will just have to wait a while. That's ok though because there are so many other great books out there that we can enjoy together now and someday we can share the world of Watership Down together.

I have looked up these books on Amazon and included them on an Excel spreadsheet I'm taking with me to the convention. Thank you again for the suggestions!