The Tale of Tallest Rabbit

by Rodrigo D. López

Monique is a smart and independent little girl who makes good decisions, except maybe when it comes to cute animals. Her eagerness to help a mysterious bunny gets her transported to a strange world full of goblin inventors, dog armies, cosmic giants, and even stranger things! Armed with the ancestral weapon of rabbitkind (an old shovel) she must help her animal friends, and get home in time for supper. Along the way she will experience the bravery of folk heroes, the power of ancient gods and the danger of lurking monsters; all while making sure her animal friends are safe. A word book for young readers, The Tale of Tallest Rabbit is a family friendly collection of stories tied together by an overarching narrative of bravery and friendship.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens

138 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2015

Reviews

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due diligence: I knew Rodrigo briefly many years ago when he was in college, and I'm a big fan of his GMing on the D&D play podcast Critical Hit, which has become a bit of an addiction lately. That's how I found out about this book, which is a really enjoyable, adorable road trip through a fairy-tale world of talking animals, bunny princesses, religious-questing birds, and ancient monsters. In this world, stories are considered currency, so the protagonists on a quest wind up telling a lot of short stories to pay their way or get themselves out of trouble. There's some enjoyably wry, slightly surreal humor (like the frog who wears bunny ears, lives in a rabbit warren, and is known as Greenest Rabbit to his easily-duped bunny warren-mates) and a lot of sharp-turn surprises. Reminds me a bit of Ursula Vernon's writing for kids, and just a bit of Watership Down, because of the storytelling aspect. I liked this a lot.

[Gavin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may know Rodrigo D. Lopez from the podcast Critical Hit. If not, welcome to his fun, original world and dryly humourous narrative style. I loved this book. I loved the structure that weaves several short stories into a wider narrative. I loved the all-ages tone that means I can't wait to read it to my kids in a couple of years. I loved the world-weary positivity that runs through the whole book. Perhaps I'm biased because I've been following the author through his various podcasting adventures over the past six or seven years but I feel that this is a fantastic debut. The story is child-like but never childish, with a tone something like a mix of Roald Dahl and Terry Pratchett but also distinctive enough to not be so readily explained. As different story-tellers come to the fore we are treated to different narrative styles which reference different historical modes of story telling. There are literary references to folk tales, fables, classical myths, and Asian poetry but it all comes together in a way that feels very modern, with a great, positive, non-white-guy protagonist. Sometimes, when I really like a book, I find it hard to write about. The enthusiasm I feel kind of washes over my attempts to rationally analyse it in a review. This is one of those books. Honestly, I raced through it and felt like going back to the beginning to start again.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming fable. I really enjoyed this, the tale of Monique, who enters a fairy-tale world and is adopted by a clan of rabbits to help look for a new home. Her journey to a site with greenest and richest (names are fun round here) is interspersed throughout with stories - which are a form of currency. It's a warming world, with some great stories each with its own compass and often a moral, it's one that appeals to me as a reader, and would appeal to younger (8-ish?) readers - and everyone inbetween. This did feel like a book that just about everyone would find something to enjoy in it. While it's short, with even shorter chapters, it also feels very much like a book that benefits from reading again in a little time, or with a little one.

Funny, offbeat, and uplifting, this is recommended.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book definitely could have benefited from better editing (I found several typos and formatting issues) and a closer attention to craft (there were several great descriptions in there and lovely phrases, but they felt somewhat inconsistent in their frequency and intensity), I loved the diversity of the worlds, stories and characters within. The story itself is adorable, the vocabulary pleasantly challenging for its target audience and the characters well written and distinct. I really enjoyed the nested story format and think this book would be especially fun for parents reading out loud to their kids, not only to assist with the vocabulary, but also for all the different voices they could do with the imaginative cast. Despite the minor flaws in craft and editing, I would definitely recommend this book to both adults and children as a fun light read. A solid debut book.

[Allison Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute and satisfying! I've followed Critical Hit for a few years now and Rodrigo has one of the most brilliant and creative minds I've ever encountered. His unique storytelling style emerges quickly in 'The Tale of Tallest Rabbit' and takes the reader on a wild ride. We follow Monique, a young girl with a big heart, who is attempting to help a variety of animals in a world in which stories are accepted as currency. Rodrigo takes the opportunity to exercise his talent for voice as each animal has its own way of telling stories. Some are beautiful, some are blunt, and some are just downright funny. I all around enjoyed this short and magical read from Mr. Lopez! Hopefully he will publish another book in English someday.

[Jack Vinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale full of tales

This is endearing fantasy of a girl who finds herself in a world of talking animals - many of whom are rabbits. She goes on an odyssey with them, and while they travel they tell and hear a wide variety of stories. Stories are currency. Most of them are whimsical, though one was a tearjerker.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely, cute, creative book of short fantastical animal tales told in the context of the journey of Tallest Rabbit.

[Lisa Nocita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fortunately, I’m a fan of rabbits and quests. This short novella is part nonsense, part fable, part fairy tale.

[TJ Kendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rodrigo López is an amazing story teller, and The Tale of Tallest Rabbit is an amazing tale about telling stories.

[Kaycee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are familiar with Rodrigo’s work or are just looking for something new I think you’ll find an enjoyable read here. I love this book. It is extremely entertaining and often laugh out loud funny.

Semi-spoilery synopsis:

Monique is an ordinary young girl who gets wrapped up in helping a group of “rabbits” find a new home in a magical land. The other characters include Greenest Rabbit–a serious frog with bunny ears on, a gifted storyteller (though perhaps a bit dense) named Richest Rabbit, and a beautiful bird in the middle of a spiritual pilgrimage named Lentil. The book is filled with short stories, which are often used as currency in this world in exchange for food or safe passage (or to escape being eaten).

Spoilers:

While all the stories are rich and interesting, my favorite story is Greenest’s Story about a Bird, a Frog, and Some Other Guys. I really love all the characters Rodrigo introduced in that one, and how their unique talents lead them to their special places.

I also super love Three Mysterious and Ancient Things, because Koala Jones is so cute when he wants to wear a pink cape.

[Silas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found out about this book from being a fan of Major Spoilers and Critical Hit, and having been a big fan of Rodrigo's reviews on the former and gamemastery on the latter. This story was a whole different animal, but I seem to have a lot of interests in common with the author, and this story did not disappoint. It was a charming story about the power of storytelling featuring a main story with a number of shorter stories integrated within the main narrative. The voice is distinctly Rodrigo's, judging from experience, which will only matter if you are familiar with him through his other work, but it is also engaging and suitable for younger readers. This has a fairy tale theme, and was highly enjoyable.

[Kathy Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book on vacation, mostly in an airplane. Light, cute, entertaining. A number of animal kingdom folktales embedded in a modern, real-world little girl's adventure down the rabbit hole. Good attention to proofreading, grammar, and production values. Would be fun to share with a young child, if I knew any. I'm giving it a gentleman's C, which isn't a bad thing. My favorite story was the protagonist's epic tale of going to the mall with her friend, "The Time Shawna's Mother Forgot to Pick Us Up At the Mall."

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tale of Tallest Rabbit is a very light-hearted, imagination-driven story that kept me enthralled following Monique and her companions.

It is refreshing to hear new fables teaching old lessons, especially through the eyes of such an innocent and kind hearted heroine.

I have been a fan of Rodrigo Lopez for the past few years through the several podcasts he is apart of. I hope he is able to write more stories via the success of this book :)

[Eugene Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story telling within a story!

The author does such a good job with defining the story and using stories in the story. Love that and not something that I have seen much before.

Highly recommend!!!

This gift is also on display with the podcast Critical Hit where the author tells an excellent story arc within the game of D&D check it out at Major Spoilers.

[Calleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy Rodrigo's work! Can't wait to read / hear more!

[Craig de Aragón · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read the entire thing to my 6 year old, and he was sucked into the imaginative stories it told.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun story. I really enjoyed the currency used throughout the book. If anyone has listened to Rodrigo DMing, you'll love this.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whimsical book is full of smiles from cover to cover. An Alice-like adventure full of talking animals, stories, and puns, I loved every moment of it.

[Amy Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

short,but a cute story. plot is a bit loose.