The Song of the Golden Hare - Hardcover

Morris, Jackie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847804500 ISBN 13: 9781847804501

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2013

Synopsis

The boy knows his family is special; for centuries they have been guardians of the beautiful, magical Golden Hares, keeping them safe and secret from the rest of the world.

So the boy and his sister watch and follow the hares, and one day they are rewarded by an extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime experience. They witness the competition for the new queen of the Golden Hares, in which each young female must sing to win the crown, and the old queen must then make her perilous last journey to the island of the Golden Hares. When the children hear the hares sing, they are spellbound and their hearts are bound to the hares for ever.

But others are searching for the Golden Hares, with hounds and evil intentions. As the hunters close in on the old queen, the boy and his sister find themselves singing the hares’ magical music. Is it possible that the hares can be saved by the Song of the Golden Hare?

About this title

About the Author

Jackie Morris makes a living by drawing, painting and dreaming. She is well known for her illustrations to Ted Hughes's How the Whale Became. She regularly exhibits her paintings in galleries. Her other titles for Frances Lincoln are, The Snow Leopard, Can You See a Little Bear?, Lord of the Forest, Tell Me a Dragon, The Cat and the Fiddle, The Ice Bear, I am Cat, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon. She lives in Wales with lots of animals.

Reviews

Gr 3–6—Not many hear the song of the golden hare, for it only happens when the males sing to win the heart of the new Golden Queen of the Hares. But the boy and his sister are patient. They see the hares moving and they follow to watch the new queen choose the one with the most beautiful voice. A huntsman and his two hounds are watching, too. Can the children protect the old queen until she makes it safely to her new home on the Island of Golden Hares? Set in a timeless countryside, this original tale touches on themes of natural wonders and the role of human protection. The rich, musical text evokes an old-fashioned fairy-tale style. Unfortunately, the small black words set against dark or busy backgrounds are sometimes difficult to read, and the sentence breaks are sometimes awkward. Using detailed line work and luminescent earth-tone washes, Morris's painterly watercolor illustrations are at their best depicting animals. The composition often focuses on elements not mentioned in the text, revealing a different perspective. Regrettably, the lack of visual context makes the narrative confusing. The foreshadowing is sometimes too subtle, but observant readers will find visual hints in the background. This quiet story might be better appreciated by adults than children.—Amy Seto Musser, Denver Public Library

Edition details

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1847804500
• ISBN 13: 9781847804501
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40