Harry HorseRezensionen

41 months - covers all kinds of things that might be going through a siblings mind. It's cute.

32 months- We have yet to find a little rabbit book we didn't like. Always well illustrated with a cute story and something to be learned.

19 months/31 months - A cute story about sharing.

The last castaways is the last adventure of Grandfather and Roo, written by the late Harry Horse in 2007 and first published in the US this year. Each of the adventures of Grandfather and Roo follows a definite pattern. They are written in the form of letters to an unnamed grandchild, "Dear Child". In each story, they set out on an adventure in high spirits and with great optimism, despite the opposition of Dear Child's mother, who thinks Grandfather is too old to go on adventures. A series of catastrophes and disasters strike, often caused by the cocky little dog Roo, and Grandfather finally despairs of survival, only to be rescued at the last minute.

In this story, Grandfather and Roo set out to make their fortunes on the Unsinkable, sailing in search of Cod. Unfortunately, various disasters ensue, Roo manages to scuttle the boat, and the two are lost and starving before being cast ashore on what appears to be a desert island....a slight misconception that is fortunately resolved in time for all concerned. Grandfather and Roo return home and decide to settle down forever....until next time!

Illustrated by the author, these are popular books in the UK and have plenty of humorous little asides and wacky adventures. However, they freak me out. I've read several of these little adventures and they never fail to strike me as depressing, morbid, and just plain weird. Grandfather's optimistic journeys always come to a point where he is writing letters to his "Dear Child" telling him or her that he will soon be dead. Each adventure is going to be his last, and Roo's consistent selfish and destructive behavior generally ceases to be funny after the first couple chapters. I have to admit, honestly, that I'm also influenced by seeing the animated short of The Last Polar Bears, with the particularly depressing part where Grandfather and Roo are in the snow, waiting to die. To me, these books aren't about adventure or humor at all; they're about trying to accept one's eventual aging and death. Oh, and if your kids are sensitive don't let them google the author because they're likely to come upon some particularly graphic accounts of the author's horrific death.

Verdict: This is just my feeling - this last adventure has won the Nestles Smarties award in the UK and apparently many kids think the stories are funny and enjoyable (although the one I purchased for my library has very low circulation). I'd rather recommend the Charlie Small series to kids looking for episodic adventure in a journal or letter format.

Oh, and this is not a newly formed opinion - click here to read my earlier blog entry on Last Gold Diggers (which was btw, written before I googled the author and came upon some particularly graphic accounts of the author's horrific death)

ISBN: 978-1561454396; Published April 2009 by Peachtree; Borrowed from the library

This should have been a very cute, funny, and possibly interesting book. Plus, it's epistolary, which is a favorite genre of mine.

Unfortunately, it is not any of those things, except for epistolary.

I am deeply relieved that I changed my mind at the last minute and didn't purchase it for the library. Phew!

Surface plot: intrepid grandfather sets out with his quirky dog, Roo, on various adventures. He chronicles these adventures by writing letters to his grandchild. Sounds good, no?

No.

The plot would better have been summarized thus: Slightly batty old man sets out with complaining/boastful small dog on insane adventures. Problems immediately arise. Problems increase. Things get worse. Grandfather does not think he will make it, and writes grim letters home to grandchild, hoping someone will find and mail the letters after his death. (he addresses his grandchild as "Child" btw). Miraculously, fantastic events save the day, usually involving talking animals.

There are several possible solutions:
A. He ended up in a mental hospital after the first adventure and is now imagining things.
B. He was in a mental hospital to start with.
C. In this particular book, he drank some bad water and that's why all the animals can talk and he's suddenly got a sheep fixing his golf cart.

In any case, the melancholic air that pervades these books is not, to put it mildly, what I would recommend for any but the most cheerful reader. And if you're a cheerful reader, why would you want to read this?

Verdict: Many people seem to like these books, but I simply cannot get past the gentle spiral into despair that I travel when I read these. The vocabulary and sentence structure seems a little too advanced for the audience as well. Not recommended.

ISBN: 978-1561454358; Published April 2008 by Peachtree; Borrowed from the library

It's the first day of school for Little Rabbit. He brings along his favorite wooden toy, Charlie Horse.(A wooden horse on wheels) He is feeling proud when he not only gets himself ready for school but he also gets Charlie Horse ready too. His new teacher is very happy to see him and Charlie Horse. There is a lot to do the first day, play games, sing songs, and make new friends. But Charlie Horse keeps causing trouble. He interrupts story time, jumps into the cake badder bowl, and gets them lost in the woods during a nature hike. At the end of the day, even Little Rabbit realizes Charlie Horse may not be ready for school after all. Good book to get a child ready for the first day of school and a good story about friendship.

Product Description
Mama is expecting a baby and Little Rabbit is going to be a big brother!

He s full of plans; he will teach the baby to play all sorts of games and be the best big brother ever. And when Mama has triplets, it looks like there will be three times the fun.

But having babies around might not be as much fun as Little Rabbit thought. They sleep and cry a lot. They are too young to throw a ball and they get their sticky paws on all his toys. They take up all of Mama s and Papa s time. It s not fair! cries Little Rabbit.

As it turns out, the new babies adore Little Rabbit. And one night when a tired Mama and Papa are at their wit s end, Little Rabbit comes to the rescue, consoling his siblings and rocking them to sleep. Now Little Rabbit understands what an important job it is to be a big brother.

I have challenged myself to become more familiar with the books on the shelves in the Chinook Trail Elementary library (The Tiger Den). My goal is to read at least three pictures books from the shelves each week. Friday’s random pull was Little Rabbit’s New Baby by Harry Horse.

This is a delightful story about what it means to be the older sibling. Horse takes us through Little Rabbit anxiously awaiting the birth of his new sibling (turns out to be three new siblings), wanting to play with them right away, being annoyed that they get all the attention and finally learning just how important it is to be “the big brother.” Horse is also the illustrator. His beautiful pictures will delight young readers. If you know of a young child expecting an addition to their family, this is a perfect gift.

Recommended for Pre-K to 2nd Grade.

Mrs. Archer’s rating: 5 of 5!

Little Rabbit gest lost at an amusement park on his birthday, he feels he is big and can walk around by himself. He gets scared and then found. I love the sweet illlustrations.

I have a serious soft spot for Little Rabbit's adventures (this is his third). First, Little Rabbit is so darned cute. Second, for some reason his mother dresses him but lets the rest of the children run naked. In this adventure, Little Rabbit gets in trouble and decides to run away from home. He meets Molly Mouse, and the two friends build a house with stuff from the junkyard. Molly, however, turns out to be a big bossyboots, and, soon enough, Little Rabbit is wishing for home. I don't know if children would enjoy these books as much as I do. The writing is quiet -- wry and understated. And, it can't be said enough, the illustrations are *cute*. Love it!½