The Squirrel, the Hare and the Little Grey Rabbit

Tales of the Little Grey Rabbit #1

by Susan Dickinson, Margaret Tempest

The animal stories of Alison Uttley have a timeless and nostalgic feel to them that will appeal to small children. The illustrations and storylines are warm and old-fashioned and concern the play and relationships between a group of animals.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Classics

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

Reviews

[Adzuki]

I love Allison Uttley’s stories especially Little Grey Rabbit whose character is compassionate, quick thinking and so lovely. I enjoy the cadence and movement in these stories. Gives one a feeling of reassurance and calm amidst the occasional dangers of foxes, weasels and farmers. I read these stories as a child and find comfort reading these now as an adult. Far from being a submissive rabbit, she comes across as a rabbit who is comfortable being herself and even when she is timid she learns to be braver. When her friends are threatened she is protective. She would be my choice for a wingman.

[Brenda Warren]

Discovered this little treasure in a charity shop in England. It’s a lovely tale & charmingly illustrated! I would love to find and read more of the squirrel, the hare and the little grey rabbit 🐇 my granddaughters were captivated

[Illiterate]

Uttley chides pride with its laziness and selfishness. Nice illustrations.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man]

The little grey rabbit is obviously a classic, and well loved my many people... But I didn't like this book at all.

I found the Grey Rabbit to be too put-upon and submissive.

The story was pretty derivative - the environment was very Beatrix Potter and this particular story was essentially The Tale of Peter Rabbit, albeit longer and more complex. Even the climax was pretty much a copy of a famous fairy tale (I won't give away which!) - and really didn't tie up all the loose ends.

[Mimi]

Charming little tail about a clever little rabit.

[Beverly]

I watched first the YouTube animation of the story and then read the storybook on Open Library. The film did a great job of following the book's plot pretty closely, except for what happened to the weasel in the end. I guess the animators wanted to soften the ending for sensitive children. I enjoyed both, and I think this story is somewhat comparable to Potter's Peter Rabbit stories, or even "The Little Red Hen." The illustrations are adorable and appealing.

[Danny]

This is another series I had read to me when I was very young in England. The Little Grey Rabbit books were very much like the Peter Rabbit books. Written by Alison Uttley and illustrated by Margaret Tempest, they are almost impossible to find.
(I have six of the books hidden away, one for each of my children.)

[Gabby]

Really shows hard work and friendship but also the weakness of the hubris’s of life. Beautifully drawn and very similar but more interesting in some ways to beatrix potters work.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly]

Awfully good, gosh can Uttley ever write, ably accompanied by Margaret Tempest's pretty little drawings, in that classic childrens' book style that always reminds me of Art Nouveau a bit. This was packed full of incident, more than I could have anticipated, and there were some lovely bits of whimsy as well (I particularly liked the rabbit's assumng that if carrot seed produces carrots, surely canary seed would produce canaries).

(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)

[Dorrie]

Utterly beautiful and delightful opening story to the 'Little Grey Rabbit' series of books. These appealing stories are full of warmth, charm and gentle humour and are often compared to the work of Beatrix Potter. Personally, I prefer the Little Grey Rabbit as they are elegantly written with natural and believable characters which captivate the imagination of young readers and those who are young at heart. In contrast, the work of Beatrix Potter (which I also love), feels arguably at times as if it was written to be read 'to' a child, rather than enjoyed 'by' a child themselves.

[Kathy Hale]

I love these tales where there is a heroine that saves the day. A little grey rabbit, who take care of the hare and the squirrel, outwits the weasel but loses her tail to the owl who tells her where to get seeds to start a garden. I'd like to see if there are others in a series.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance]

The Squirrel, the Hare, and the Little Grey Rabbit all have a series of adventures with a weasel. A bit of trickery here saves them all.

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

[Sue]

Little Grey Rabbit and her friends were childhood favourites.

[Paula]

What a sweet story. Loved reading it. What a classic!

[Linda]

Similar in many ways to Beatrix Potter's books, except I found Alison Uttley's story so much more interesting and compelling.

[Fiona]

A bit disjointed. Thought that the pages were stuck together.

[Tanya]

Little great rabbit is the bravest, but the others learned their lessons. I wish they hadn’t stolen to grow their crops. And ultimately, it’s an eye for an eye story.

[Kristal]

Sweet little grey rabbit is so sacrificial to her companions! Thankfully they learn a lesson by the end of the book and they do indeed eventually live happily-ever-after

[Louise]

I read almost every one of the Little Grey Rabbit books as a child and was enchanted by them all. Margaret Tempest's illustrations were sublime and brought the world inhabited by Grey Rabbit, Squirrel, Hare, Moldy Warp, Fuzzypeg and the rest vividly to life for me. Loved them to pieces and still collect early editions now (and re-read them sometimes!)

[Amelia]

I used to love this story!

[Stacy Renee (LazyDayLit)]

My Aunt bought me the whole treasury as a kid and I still have it!

[Linda]

This book was first published in 1929. I found this 1949, eleventh edition at my used bookstore. It is similar in look to Beatrix Potter’s stories, a sweet story that includes a life lesson. The Little Grey Rabbit is a worker, rises early and already has completed many tasks before The Hare and The Squirrel rise. When they do, it is nothing but grumping, about breakfast, why the milk is late, etc. It’s quite an adventurous day that the three have. It is a story that young children will love.