Shadrach

by Meindert De Jong

A perceptive account of a small boy's feelings toward a black pet rabbit yields a sensitive exploration of childhood emotions and perceptions

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Historical Fiction, Juvenile, Family, School

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Meindert De Jong was an award-winning author of children's books. He was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands.

De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.

He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.

He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off: I love, love, love the main character in this book, Davie. Meindert DeJong has a unique way of letting us see the innate goodness and charm in the main characters of his books that serves to drive entire stories through their personal sweetness, and Davie is an absolutely perfect example of that. No one will be able to resist Davie; I'll just lay that out there ahead of time.

Another thing that Meindert DeJong does very well (quite possibly better than any other author whose material I've ever read) is to make the experiences of young people accessible to anyone, because of how true his young characters ring. I don't know how many times I've read a book and had thoughts like, "That train of thought doesn't seem to authentically represent the train of thought of a real kid," or, "I can't understand why a kid would make that particular mental transition." With Meindert DeJong, that never happens. His ability to carefully think through the thoughts of a genuine child and reach the same conclusions that they would under the same circumstances, makes his novels a vital component of American kids' literature. It's as if he takes the hand of his child character and simply allows them to lead the way, without interruption or second-guessing. I don't know where we would be without Meindert DeJong to show us again and again how writing for children should be done.

Shadrach proceeds at its own pace, taking its time to round corners that most authors would hurry past impatiently. It takes Davie a very long time even to first procure his treasured black rabbit, which gives us the perfect opportunity to see the inner workings of a boy's mind at a time when his whole life has been narrowed to the focal point of a single special future day, a day that will not come any more quickly than it's supposed to despite the prospect of his black rabbit waiting. Even as the reader, these days seem to pass maddeningly slowly, and it feels as if the day of the black rabbit's advent will never arrive.

When the day of the great gift at last comes, Davie's beautiful black rabbit doesn't come with solutions to its considerable problems, and it will take Davie a long time to work out the answers himself. As tremendous as the experience has been, unexpected dangers arise, threatening to puncture the balloon of Davie's happiness and steal away what seemed as if it could never be stolen.

The creative thought shown by Meindert DeJong in the pages of this book is exceptional, indeed. I love the fact that we still have literature like this to feed new generations of readers who are hungry for stories of wonder and substance, stories that provide all of the adventure that we could ever ask for while at the same time teaching us important things about the way that our own minds and hearts work. For that, few authors can match the achievements of Meindert DeJong, and few works are as memorable or as sweet as the story of a boy and his heart-achingly anticipated little black rabbit, Shadrach.

I would definitely increase the rating of this book to two and a half stars.

[Starry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread.
This is a sweet story of a little boy getting and loving a pet rabbit. It's told with Meindert DeJong's amazing ability to understand the concerns and motivations of the very young. Even though very little happens, my children were riveted by the story, even my 9-yr-old son that usually gets bored when a book is all talk and no action. For example, DeJong conveys the agony of waiting a whole week for something good so convincingly that my children were in agony to hear what happens next. Another beautiful thing about this story is the strong and secure love that Davie's grandparents and parents demonstrate to him -- there are so many books about dysfunctional families and children who feel ignored or unloved or misunderstood, that it's delightful to read of a loving family and grownups who take the time to know their child's concerns and allay their fears.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on openlibrary.org for the Newbery club. I can see why some ppl might not like this, esp. because the bunny is not a character and because the 'voice' is that of a certain little boy who loves his family, and music, and language, is loved by his family, is brave & naughty & good & innocent & wise... iow, a character not many can identify with. I may not have liked it when I was a child. But now I do admire and enjoy it very much.

[Becky Bollinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 1st graders connected with this simple but charming story!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. What a peculiar book! Although written and intended for children, I'm unconvinced that it's FOR children. I think it's perfect as a read aloud adult to child (younger, 4-7) and is primarily for the adult to understand what is going on in a child's mind. Davie's mind flits back and forth over the same details and thoughts, endlessly repetitive, filled with awe, wonder, fear, anger, joy, etc. Davie is the child in the car asking "are we there yet?" over and over and over. He's a young boy, recently recovered from an unspecified but dangerous illness (given the mother's concern for his health) who has been promised a black rabbit by his grandfather. He is completely fixated on the rabbit: getting it, feeding it, caring for it, and finding it when it gets out. Davie isn't an only child and is frequently at odds with his older brother Rem who is variously really nasty and extremely caring. As I said, I don't think this is really for kids. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (Popsugar 2020 "favorite previous prompt - animal stories") and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1954). Read via Internet Archive/Open Library due to Covid 19.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom read this to me when I was little and I remembered it fondly. My daughters and I really enjoyed reading it together. A sweet picture of childhood and family interactions. Dejong writes well from a child’s perspective and reminds you of what it felt like being young, when a week of waiting feels like eternity and your cares don’t feel foremost in the minds of adults. And then, the joy when a grown up does listen, take you seriously, and understand! A fun story for the girls and a good reminder for mom.

[Lmichelleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 and 13 year olds as a bedtime story and they begged for it every night. Something about this simply told tale of a little Dutch boy resonated with our hearts too!

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh thank God I finally got through this book. Talk about repetitive! How many times can you write the same sentence in a row in different ways? This book is a pro at that. However, I had to make sure I read it to my sons because one of them adores rabbits so much.

Davie has been sick and his grandfather has promised to get him a black rabbit. He's been dreaming up life with the rabbit so much including his name and feeding it. This little boy gets into mischief with his cares and feelings for the rabbit.

The story is far too long and could have been cut in half, honestly.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful story of a little boy's love/obsession with his pet rabbit. what is beautiful about this book, and many of deJong's books, is that he is so good at capturing the mind of kids. what they see as important in the world, how sensitive they are to how adults react to them. it's almost painful to read and reflect and remember what it was like to be a kid once. any of deJong's books i highly recommend. this one was both cute and wonderful.

[Kirsten Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 12 year old and I just finished this title as a buddy read. It's one of those titles where the description gave us a bit different idea of what the story would be compared to how it actually worked out. It sounded like this was going to be a bit of an adventure book, as the main character might have interesting experiences trying to find his pet rabbit. But, to the disappointment of my 12 year old, this book is muuuuch slower paced than that. Davie, a young boy living in the Dutch countryside in perhaps the late 1800s or early 1900s, doesn't even get his pet rabbit until half way through the book. Then the rabbit doesn't have his big escape until the last chapter (he's missing for about 20 of the 182 pages of the book).

A more apt description of this book would put the focus on the main character Davie, and how desperately difficult it is for him to wait for his expected pet - and how difficult it is to stay out of trouble while he waits (or even after the pet arrives). After recovering from a long illness, Davie is expected by his family to be getting extra rest, but doing things like sneaking out of bed and looking for clover to feed his soon-to-be-pet seems like a way better idea to Davie! (He's about 6 or 7 years old I would guess - his age is never given).

I can't say that either my 12 year old or I really loved this title. I'm rating it 3 stars out of 5 - it's a fine story, just very slow paced and not what we were expecting. I think younger readers/listeners who like slower paced stories might actually enjoy it more. They might really relate to how hard it is to wait and "be good" when an exciting event is coming!

Content Considerations:

Religious References: David and his family seem fairly religious, and there are a number of references to praying, going to church, singing hymns, etc. David and his father think of themselves as being "a bit wicked" when they skip church to fix Shadrach's hutch, and Davie wonders if it is wicked to think of his rabbit when singing a hymn to himself.
Disobedience: Several times Davie disobeys his parents or grandparents and sneaks out or spends time in the barn when he is supposed to be elsewhere.
Sibling relationships: Davie's older brother Rem teases him and acts a bit mean or condescending to him at times.
Attitudes: We found Davie to be a bit on the whiny/annoying side - some readers who don't want to encourage that kind of behavior in their kids might not think Davie is a very good example. 😉

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such fond memories of this book! I was given a copy as a child and read it over and over. Sendak's simple pen and ink illustrations added so much.

We are not told how old the main character is, nor what disease he had that made him "so sick" for such a long time that his mother and grandmother want him to nap all afternoon every day, but published in the 1950s and set earlier, it could be any of the childhood diseases that killed or disabled so many children before the wide availability of vaccines. Shoot, I had scarlet fever myself in about 1975, and it was a tossup if I would live to tell the tale. Davie is however old enough for school, so at least 6 or 7. He struggles to prove that he is well and no longer mummy's baby, even with Dad and Grandpa on his side. Grandpa gives him a little black rabbit, though why the rabbit should be constantly kept in the dark barn is beyond me. All the rabbit hutches I've ever seen were kept under cover of a roof, but with access to the sun and air.

I see several adult reviewers found the book boring and repetitive, but then it was intended for children of Davie's age, not a thirty something adult who's forgotten how small children feel and think about things. That's what DeJong captures so well--the thought processes and feelings of small children of any time. I certainly related to Davie's love/hate relationship with his elder brother Ren, who enjoys teasing him with a straight face, spoiling his fun and trying to scare him. Today's adult readers may be shocked at the way Ren finally gets his comeuppance, but as the youngest of 7 siblings, mostly snotnose boys like Ren, believe me it was satisfying to see the brat get his for once! I also liked how adults in DeJong's world can admit to a small child that they forget things or make mistakes--not something that ever happened in my world at that age.

[Shella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story with a very sweet impulsive young boy Davie. I’m sure many modern readers will think this book is too slow and not exciting. It takes almost 100 of the 182 pages for Davie to even get his precious Shadrach black bunny. This is the strength of the story. While most author’s would rush this development, DeJong slows this down so we really feel the anticipation that Davie feels- in the same way a young boy would feel. I had to laugh how Davie cannot keep a secret- he is the quintessential open book. I remember at Davie’s age being just like that and felt compelled to tell all my “sins.” DeJong just captures the sweetness of childhood angst and wonder. The family is solid and loving- except Rem lol. This is a strong 4 star. I really like this author’s craft and how he connects to family, children, and animals.

[Rachael Marsceau · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic children's story that I never ended up reading as a kid, so sadly some of the magic is gone. However, I felt like what could've been annoying, repetitive writing actually perfectly captures a child's repetitive, absorbed thought process. I thought it was sweet. And I can never get enough of Sendak's nostalgic illustrations!

[Monica Fastenau · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, like many of the early Newbery books, is fairly short and has an old-fashioned feel to it. The story is about a little boy named Davie who is going to get a black rabbit, which he names Shadrach. The story goes into Davie’s escapades before and after he gets his rabbit. To be honest, I felt like I was too old to be reading this book. Although many Newbery books are written so that adults can enjoy them and learn from them as well, this one was not. Dejong captured perfectly what it is to be a six-year-old boy, impatient and ready to be grown up–but it was incredibly annoying! Davie reminded me of the small children I used to take care of in the nursery, and how frustrating it is to have a child in your care disobey you, run off, and generally get into trouble.

*Read more on my blog: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-r...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first DeJong, and I'm so impressed with how he conveyed feelings. Davie's difficulty waiting a week for his black rabbit, how it felt like eternity, and he couldn't focus on anything because of his excitement and anticipation. What wonderfully present parents and grandparents! So patient and helpful with Davie. I thought his relationship with his older brother to be realistic as well, moments where he thinks him wonderful and others where he's so mad he lashes out at him.

An entire story about a child's first pet but with such clear feelings. You could tell how much Davie loves Shadrach as well as how much Davie is loved by his family. Another thing I happily noted was the mention of Sunday observance, familiarity with Bible stories, and prayer. It was refreshing to have it be an important part of their lives.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story very much. In my opinion, DeJong did a great job probing the mind and emotions of a young boy. The reader is not given his age; I estimated him to be about 6 or 7 years old, based on his sometimes obsessive and careless, unthinking behavior. Even though it is set in the Netherlands, I didn't really get much of a feel for that country (apart from the wooden shoes), since the story pretty much stayed within the very small community where Davie lived. Davie was much more the main character than his rabbit, which didn't even come into the story (except as an expectation) until half-way through the book. But DeJong did a great job of making all the characters come alive. So, I am happy that it was given a Newbery Honor.

[Bhg · Rating 4 out of 5]

How delightful to spend time with a loving family. Great for any child who's wanted a pet of any sort. Loved the sibling rivalry - boys will especially appreciate the male attitude on a variety of subjects. Moms - be grateful we live in an age with antibiotics and vaccines. Who knows what illness he had, and survived! Great to actually have a father - and a mother!! - in a story plus grandparents.

If you're a Sendak fan, please don't be disappointed that he's still in his Marie Hall Ets phase. In my opinion itt's much better suited to DeJong, and this gentle little story than his later work with Ruth Krauss or his own writing.

[Claire Mirabal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I vividly remember my mom reading this book aloud to my brother and I when we were in elementary school, and I remember all three of us being bored out of our minds (in fact I think we lost my brother about halfway through). My mom and I were barely able to finish it. For a long time after, if a book was very dull, we would say, “Wow, this book is almost as boring as Shadrach! Remember how bad that was?” This book is generally pointless. All the main character cares about is obtaining his pet rabbit. There is very little plot, and the story moves excruciatingly slow. Read this book if you would like, but do not be surprised if you are unable to finish it.

[Chelsea Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

At 35, I’m clearly not the target audience, but I know even as a child I wouldn’t have cared for this book. I appreciate that it took 5 1/2 chapters before he got his rabbit. That way you can feel the pain of waiting as Davie did. But that appreciation is also mixed with annoyance. This book is only 10 chapters but it should be less. It was slow and boring to me. I’m just glad I actually finished the story instead of bailing on it.

I’m curious to see if it’s the story or the author I don’t care for.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute youth book. Not exactly what I was expecting. It takes awhile to get into the book but the ending is very sweet.

[Rodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadrach is a rabbit. This book is about the rabbit's owner: a kid named Davie. It's hard to tell Davie's age, but I pictured a boy around 5 or 6. This book does a very good job conveying the thoughts and reasoning going through the mind of this little kid.

Davie has an extreme lack of patience. It's very hard for him to wait to get the rabbit. Then, he's preoccupied about the rabbit once he gets it. These traits would be really frustrating to an adult. The adults in the book give him a lot of independence and little supervision, which judgmentally I think is a factor causing his troubles.

The book takes place in the Netherlands. The illustrations show wooden shoes. The time period is when merchants came by horse and carriage and his dad travels by bicycle (with rain cape). I liked that the family culture shows that they observed the Sabbath day.

The book mentions that Davie had been sick for a long while, causing him to be held back from starting school. It sounds like a significant serious illness with a long recovery, not just a routine cold. The book never explains what the extended illness was.

There were a few instances with either some typographical editing errors or very unusual wording.

Page 24
"Grandmother look annoyed, but Davie had to snicker in the bed."
(Should say 'looked' annoyed).

Page 148
"What you doing? "... "What you going to do, Rem?"
(Should say 'what are you doing... What are you going to do').

Page 170
"He'd waked up wide awake..."
(Should say 'He'd woken up wide awake...).

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand this book has a cute old fashioned feel good kind of feeling about a boy who has loving parents and loving grandparents who live within walking distance from him. They all adore him and one day is grandfather promises him a rabbit. He cannot wait for this rabbit and finally gets this rabbit and has to figure out how to care for him.

On the other hand, it is kind of slow and boring in that old fashioned kind of way as well. This book was promoted by Sonlight and I bought it and then it sat on my shelf for years before I picked it up and read it to my now 8 year old son (never did get around to reading to my now teens when they were in elementary school because it just looked boring).

Together we decided to give this a 3 star. It sort of sits in the middle for us both between charming but slow.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe just 2.5 stars. . .

While I grew tired of the main character's impulsive (unwise) choices and his big feelings that were the focus of the dramatic narrative of the story, I did appreciate getting inside the head of a little boy who is very different than I was as a little girl. It helped me understand my boys as children better, in fact I wish I could have read this when they were little.

It is endearing how much Davie loves his Shadrach, "fairest, fairest of ten thousand." But Rem is the official worst big brother ever. And Grandpa disappointed me with his unexpected aggressive punishment at one point.

DeJong's "Wheel on the School" is a better book, but I think this would be a really good read-aloud for a family with younger children, especially boys.

[Erin Hendrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book, capturing the thoughts, hopes, anxieties, and motivations of a small boy and his love for a little rabbit all his own, taking place amidst all the comforting characters of his family. I think I enjoyed this story more as an adult - my 9 and 7 year olds were a bit bored by it and I remember it not capturing my interest much at that age either, though my 4 and 5 year old seemed to enjoy it too. It captures a lot of the sweetness and earnest innocence of childhood though, and the things that are so big and important for small people.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book with the bunny was much better than the depressing book about the dog I read by this same author before I read this one. This one was delightful! It was full of very real, child anticipation, care, concern, admiration, all the feelings that kids have over their pets and their family, it was great.

[Marni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story about a boy and his rabbit. I love the picture we get of his family and their love for him, taking time to help and listen. He struggles with problems and has to work them out, and sometimes the rabbit causes him a lot of stress.

It's easy to discount the concerns and excitement of children as small, but this shows how big those things can feel.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For such a small book it took me a while to get through it. I was probably just busy with life.

Overall this was a sweet little story with a classic literature feel to it. It tells of the excitement and worries of a young child who gets a new pet rabbit. A younger elementary-aged child may enjoy it as a read-aloud.

[Sarah Reichle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, sweet story of a little boy who anticipates meeting his promised pet rabbit. As the story is told, you gather background information about the boy and where he lives. I love how his thoughts and feelings are written; simple and childlike. I highly recommend this story; for children, but also for parents to see a great example of patience and understanding towards children.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadrach reminds me strongly of the Ramona books--a look into a child's mind and heart as they live out their day-to-day joys and troubles. Instead of a girl and her sister, it's a boy and his rabbit.

It's not one I'll go out of my way to find and purchase, but I would be happy to add it to our shelves if I stumbled across it in a used bookstore someday.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another charming book by DeJong. Like the others I've read, it can't touch The Wheel on the School, but you can see the same elements there of sweet children and a close knit family/community. Davie's grandfather gets him a rabbit, which he names Shadrach. I wish the rabbit had actually been more in the story but it was still an enjoyable read.