Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams

Oneworld Modern Classics, 2015. ISBN 9781780747897
Originally published in 1996 to follow Watership Down these stories successfully extend the experience for lovers of the original rabbit novel. The later generations of rabbits are told the stories of their heroic ancestors in fables which teach about courage, loyalty and resilience in the face of great challenges and danger. The book opens with rabbit legends, which would be very suitable for reading aloud, followed by stories of rabbit adventures featuring many of the characters from the original novel including Bigwig, Hazel, Campion and Woundwort; even Kehaar the gull makes an appearance. Some of the text seems a bit dated, the boy rabbits are the protectors, they have all the daring adventures and get to do the heroic deeds while the girls are helpful and sensible while being a bit inscrutable; and the landscape is very English, reminiscent of that inhabited by Peter Rabbit. However, for the lovers of Watership Down, also recently re-published, this book extends the experience and will be enjoyed by both adults and middle school readers who don't want to let those characters go.
Sue Speck