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Ho-limlim: a Rabbit Tale from Japan
After one last foray far from his home, an aging rabbit decides he prefers to rest in his own garden and let his children and grandchildren bring him good things to eat.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 27, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 6, 2017
The story is a bit odd for Western sensibilities but is still interesting, plus the art here is amazing. I should read Watership Down again...
March 13, 2019
This book has amazing illustrations. The story is so-so, but neat to know it came from the oral stories of the Ainu people of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.
July 23, 2016
I think this was too weird for kids.
The most disturbing part was when the hare god thought that he saw a stranded whale on the beach and people on top of it. "Whoo, I'll go and help them, maybe I'll get some meat! Yum yum!"
...
Hare. Eating. MEAT? -_-'
Anyway, it turns out that the "whale" was only a big heap of trash and the "people" were seagulls.
I think you need glasses, dude.
The same scenario repeats two more times and then the hare god just thinks that okay, this is it, I'm going home! I'm not going anywhere anymore! And so he lets his children and grandchildren bring him food. Well played, bunny.
The illustrations are good, but quite melancholy.
The most disturbing part was when the hare god thought that he saw a stranded whale on the beach and people on top of it. "Whoo, I'll go and help them, maybe I'll get some meat! Yum yum!"
...
Hare. Eating. MEAT? -_-'
Anyway, it turns out that the "whale" was only a big heap of trash and the "people" were seagulls.
I think you need glasses, dude.
The same scenario repeats two more times and then the hare god just thinks that okay, this is it, I'm going home! I'm not going anywhere anymore! And so he lets his children and grandchildren bring him food. Well played, bunny.
The illustrations are good, but quite melancholy.
November 5, 2016
Rabbits are commonly featured as tricksters in many folktales from around the world. But even tricksters can be fooled…
The rough, woodcut images are stark contrasts to this gentle tale of a rabbit who goes adventuring. Playing against type, this isn’t a young buck out to seek his fortune, win a doe or see the world. No, this is an old rabbit that feels the stir of spring in his blood and sets out for one last romp.
The bunny himself is outlined in bold black lines, making him a powerful figure, often dwarfing his surroundings. The same starkness is echoed in mere lines that make clouds, the waves in an ocean or the roughness of a beach. But nature dwarfs all humble creatures in time, even a meddlesome rabbit.
The book is also a wry meditation on what it means to grow old as the rabbit gets discouraged by the mixed messages sent to him by his weakened eyes. That may be the appeal for me. No longer youthful, feeling my body sinking daily into that torpor that attends old age, I found myself smiling at his mistakes brought on by general decrepitude and his decision to return to his beloved home. Adventure is nice but restful agedness carries its own sweet rewards.
The rough, woodcut images are stark contrasts to this gentle tale of a rabbit who goes adventuring. Playing against type, this isn’t a young buck out to seek his fortune, win a doe or see the world. No, this is an old rabbit that feels the stir of spring in his blood and sets out for one last romp.
The bunny himself is outlined in bold black lines, making him a powerful figure, often dwarfing his surroundings. The same starkness is echoed in mere lines that make clouds, the waves in an ocean or the roughness of a beach. But nature dwarfs all humble creatures in time, even a meddlesome rabbit.
The book is also a wry meditation on what it means to grow old as the rabbit gets discouraged by the mixed messages sent to him by his weakened eyes. That may be the appeal for me. No longer youthful, feeling my body sinking daily into that torpor that attends old age, I found myself smiling at his mistakes brought on by general decrepitude and his decision to return to his beloved home. Adventure is nice but restful agedness carries its own sweet rewards.
April 9, 2008
Summary: After an aging rabbit repeatedly sees things not as they are and decides that staying home is better.
Review: I liked this well enough I suppose. I am not familiar with Japanese folk tales, and found the theme a little strange. The old rabbit seems to accept that the world is too confusing for him and it is better for him to stay home. I would agree with Mary Burns from Horn Book Magazine found it,"Valuable as it is for aesthetic considerations, this work would also dramatically enhance intercultural curricula." In Patricia Dooley's review she focuses mostly on the wood cut illustrations which she calls "stunningly good".
Reviews Cited:
Burns, Mary M. Ho-limlim: A Rabbit Tale from Japan. Horn Book Magazine, Jan/Feb91, Vol. 67 Issue 1, p77-78, 2.
Dooley, Patricia. Ho-limlim: A Rabbit Tale from Japan (Book). School Library Journal, Nov90, Vol. 36 Issue 11, p108, 2p.
Review: I liked this well enough I suppose. I am not familiar with Japanese folk tales, and found the theme a little strange. The old rabbit seems to accept that the world is too confusing for him and it is better for him to stay home. I would agree with Mary Burns from Horn Book Magazine found it,"Valuable as it is for aesthetic considerations, this work would also dramatically enhance intercultural curricula." In Patricia Dooley's review she focuses mostly on the wood cut illustrations which she calls "stunningly good".
Reviews Cited:
Burns, Mary M. Ho-limlim: A Rabbit Tale from Japan. Horn Book Magazine, Jan/Feb91, Vol. 67 Issue 1, p77-78, 2.
Dooley, Patricia. Ho-limlim: A Rabbit Tale from Japan (Book). School Library Journal, Nov90, Vol. 36 Issue 11, p108, 2p.
March 8, 2009
Very striking illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews