The Black Rabbit

by Philippa Leathers

In this clever picture book, a debut author-illustrator introduces a plucky rabbit and the new companion that he just can’t shake.

Rabbit has a problem. There’s a large black rabbit chasing him. No matter where he runs — behind a tree, over the river — the shadowy rabbit follows. Finally in the deep, dark wood, Rabbit loses his nemesis — only to encounter a real foe! Kids who like to be in on the secret will revel in this humorous look at shadows and friendship, brought to light by a talented animator.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Rabbits, Fiction, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Philippa Leathers studied graphic design, illustration, and animation, and currently works as a freelance animator and illustrator. The Black Rabbit is her first picture book, while her animation credits include work on the Charlie and Lola and Peppa Pig TV series. She lives in England with her family, a gray tabby cat named Emmi, and two rabbits named Benji and Kiki, who inspired her to write The Black Rabbit, as where one goes the other follows close behind.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you feel lost or scared in life, sometimes the best place to look for help or strength is right beside you.

Someone is following Rabbit. No matter how fast he runs or where he hides, Black Rabbit is always right behind him. Rabbit soon learns that having someone watch your back might not be such a bad thing after all though.

Simple, clean, clear illustrations bring this adventure to life. The soft, pale colors fill the chase with such warmth and focus. Our cute little rabbit hero looks so small at times, but his determination shines through on every page.

Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers is filled with courage, friendship, and surprises. It made me smile. :)

Perfect spring time read!

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that will show children that you should face up to your fears.

[LitCoachLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful new debut picture book by author/illustrator Phillippa Leathers. It begins with wonderful end pages that show a map which has a trail that leads us through the story. It would be a great way for kids to retell the story after hearing it a time or two.
The premise is that, as this adorable little white rabbit emerges from his burrow on a sunny day, he is frightened by an enormous black rabbit. Not knowing it is simply his shadow, he tries to run from it, hide from it and swim away from it. When he finally dashes into the "deep, dark forest", he is rewarded. However a much worse fate awaits him. Find out how his shadow saves the day in this simple yet satisfying picture book. The illustrations are wonderful as is the text. Children of all ages will love it. The size of the book is "just right" too - not too big and not too small - just the right size for small hands.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little white rabbit suddenly discovers that he is being shadowed by a big, dark, shady rabbit. He wanders all over trying to shake his tail. No luck until he enters the dark forest, but then he's confronted with a more immediate threat.

Bunny survives and isn't even mangled a little. Not a good choice for anyone teaching a preschooler about stranger danger.

Library copy

[Agris Fakingsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

..ja reiz iesāc skatīties kādu video, kurā kāds lasa bērnu grāmatas, nevar nenoskatīties vairākus pēc kārtas, jo bērnu grāmatas ir miljoniem. šī bija smieklīga. :)

[Matthieu Wegh · Rating 4 out of 5]

? Op mijn rondgang door de jeugdafdeling van mijn bieb meegenomen.
🤔Een leuk prentenboek met een mooie twist aan het einde ;-)
MW25/2/24

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps it's just because I'm taking a class on multicultural children's literature and we are encouraged to read all books multiculturally, but this book made me uncomfortable. First of all, the white rabbit is scared of a black rabbit. Yes, yes, it's his shadow but - really? Have we not had enough Trayvon Martin incidents in the news? In the end, even the Fox is scared of the "large and imposing" black rabbit. Yikes. No thank you to sharing this book with young impressionable children, although maybe in a teaching unit on Civil Rights with older students who could have some perspective.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

We picked this one up from the library as part of an attempt to help DD get over her fear of shadows. She loves this book asking to read it over and over, and I think it's helping! She's still afraid, but now wants to wave and say hi to her shadow. Progress! Super cute, great read aloud for toddlers.

[Fjóla · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well crafted book. It suppose it could have been inspired by Bear Shadow, with which it has many similarities, but the surprise ending is clever and transmits a message.

[Benji Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good one for storytime, but only if you can put up with lots of kids yelling "IT'S HIS SHADOW!!!" The ENTIRE time. Oh man. SHould I have put this under a spoilers tag thingy?

[Emma M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little e recently discovered her own shadow, so we had a lot of fun reading this tale about a little rabbit who notices his shadow for the first time.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty adorable book about making an unexpected friend with someone/something that used to be scary.

[Brittnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute story with great illustrations.

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

یه کتاب جالب و آموزنده درباره سایه برای بچه ها
تصاویر بامزه ای داره و جنس کاغذ ها گلاسه زخیم هست.
نوع صحافی ته دوخت باعث میشه صفحات با یکی دوبار خوندن برگ برگ نشن

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely adorable book about shadows. This is the perfect "scary" book for the youngest child, since the reader will know it's Rabbit's shadow, but still empathize easily with Rabbit's fear. And then something truly scary happens! And Rabbit is brave!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep going back between a 3 and a 4. It is a 3 for me for some reasons and a 4 for others. I really like the ending of the book as I think it is actually quite symbolic (though I wish the rabbit learned the truth). I also enjoyed the chase that took place throughout the book and I think that it would be a great book to read aloud and discuss with children. Okay... talked myself into a 4 :)

When I first read the book, it seemed simple, but the more I read it and thought about it, the more I started to love The Black Rabbit. It is such a cute picture book which is beautifully illustrated and has a fiesty little protagonist. Along with the lesson about quotation marks and imagination, the little rabbit is having a problem that only a mini-science lesson will explain. This book would be a wonderful (and entertaining) addition to a lesson about sunlight and shadows. Also, it is a great book to practice predicting. Though I figured out the secret early on in the book, students who are just learning about shadows will find the secret fun and would help make a great prediction lesson.

Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 5

Read Alone: Grades Pre-K - 2

Read With: Chalk by Bill Thomson, I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Snatch of Text:
"Rabbit woke up one morning and stepped out of his burrow into the bright sunlight. It was a beautiful day."

Mentor Text for: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Making Predictions, Making Inferences, Visualizing, Alliteration, Author's Purpose, Dialogue

Writing Prompts: Write about at time in your life when you were scared. Write about a time in your life when you did something brave.

Topics Covered: Integration - Science, Sunshine, Shadows, Courage

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers is a picturebook that follows one white rabbit with a problem. No matter where he goes, a black rabbit follows him. It is only when the rabbit enters the dark wood that his mysterious companion disappears, but he also finds a much more threatening foe. Thankfully, when the black rabbit reappears he is more friend than foe.

Black Rabbit is a fun story about discovery and friendship. While it might be obvious to readers of all ages that the black rabbit is really just a shadow, the fun of playing with one's shadow is something young readers will relate to. The story is just great fun, and gives children the feeling of being in on a secret, which is always fun. Most kids will enjoy the story for its fun playfulness, and because they can recognize themselves in the feeling and play of the little white rabbit.

I recommend Black Rabbit to picturebook fans of all ages. The illustrations wonderful, and the story is fun. I liked this book particularly for my son, who like the rabbit seems to be afraid of things he has no need to fear, and likes to run from his own shadow and imaginary monsters of his own creation for fun.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I just picked up this book because it's about a rabbit and I love rabbits, then when I read it I realised how sweet the story was! A poor little bunny terrified of his own shadow because he doesn't realise that it is his shadow. As well as a fun story, it might be good as an introduction in science when studying the topic of light and what happens when light can't get through. I like the way when you are reading the rabbit's thoughts, the font is changed to italics to differentiate between that and the rest of the story, which could be a great discussion point about why the writer has chosen to do this and the effect it has on us as readers.

[Jasmine Stocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book about shadows. The author/illustrator does a fantastic job in her illustrations with incorporating the four elements of art. I enjoyed this cute little book because in the end the rabbit and his shadow are now friends and the black rabbit (his shadow) helped his scare off the wolf that was trying to eat him. Happy endings are my favorite.

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story about a rabbit that doesn't understand his shadow is not another rabbit. And it kind of freaks him out, until he hides in a shady spot. Eventually it saves him from a wolf. The pictures are SUPER cute, and way cool.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbit is scared of the big black rabbit he can't outrun. (cough his shadow cough). After a run in with a wolf, Rabbit realizes black rabbit has his back. A super fun book for a rabbit or shadow story time.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun picture book! Children will guess the identity of the black rabbit long before the poor hero knows what's going on. I love how something frightening becomes the very thing that saves the day. Very engaging illustrations!

[Busy Mummy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great story! Would make a lovely introduction to a session on shadow puppets in the class.

The story just reminds me of when my son first discovered his shadow in the back garden one day, pointing and questioning the black shadowy movement of himself.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine book for anyone who's ever been stalked by their own "black rabbit."

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was poetic.

[Rachel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cute and funny. I feel like this is a book that kids would be yelling out that it's his shadow and super excited.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabbit has someone following him, and is very afraid. But is Black Rabbit really mean? I liked the premise of the book, and the illustrations are very good.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute book about a Rabbit who is afraid of his shadow. This would make a great storytime book.

[Tara Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to use for my Groundhog Day and Shadows Story Time! Afterwards, I am planning to have the children play a match the shadow game on the feltboard.