A Coney Tale

Coneys #1

by Paul Rátz de Tagyos

A village in 17th-century Flanders populated by rabbits, or coneys, is the setting for a remarkable picture book debut. The lively imagination of author-artist Paul Ratz de Tagyos has devised the story of the Holbuns, father and son, and their discovery that the great tree of Conage is in fact the biggest carrot in the world. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1992

Reviews

[Antoine Revoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book, a hidden, little known gem with gorgeous hand made art and lovable characters. It is a pity that modern day parents all purchase the same books and that every household has the mandatory pigeon story, cheap art and laughs—perpetuating a publishing status quo—when a wonder such as this one has gone relatively unheralded. Highly recommended!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really cute picture book about rabbits. It is my favorite picture book.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave a copy of this to a young person a few years ago and she loved it. (Admittedly, she is a rabbit rabid bunnyphile.) I liked it very much as well.

This is the story of the coney village of Conage in 17th Century Flanders. The lovely artwork is sort of a bunny's-eye version of Vermeer.

The hero of this tale is Holbun the Younger, child of (of course) Holbun the Elder. The names are taken from the 15th and 16th Century German artists, Hans Holbein the Elder and Hans Holbein the Younger, with the slightly altered names showing that the Flemish branch of the family was somewhat furrier than the Germans.

Holbun the Younger makes a great discovery (which is, unfortunately, revealed in the summary of the book here on Goodreads). This won't spoil the book, though. I haven't read this for years but it stands well in my memory, particularly the very fine artwork of Paul Rátz de Tagyos.