Ramar: The Rabbit with Rainbow Wings - Hardcover

Hare, Darrell T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312140312 ISBN 13: 9780312140311

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 1996

Synopsis

Preparing for his first journey to Earth as a human being, a young winged rabbit from the World-in-Between, is befriended by a host of animal spirits who offer him guidance about his forthcoming journey. 75,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author:

Darrell T. Hare is a successful advertising executive who has enjoyed a lifelong interest in writing poetry and exploring the possibility of life after death. Now devoted to his career as an author, he resides in Dayton, Ohio with his family.

Tom O'Sullivan has illustrated well over fifty books. He lives in New York City and Martha's Vineyard.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A first book and moral fable being compared to Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. The illustrations (not seen here) may suck some preadolescents through this mild, eventless moral teach-in. But it's hard to imagine anyone older--or, in fact, anyone--really being gripped by Ramar the rabbit, who finds himself in the World-In-Between, a way station for his rebirth on Earth. Ramar also finds that he has rainbow-colored gossamer wings, which he thinks absurd. He meets Lydia, a telepathic cat with aqua eyes, and a Dove Who Rhymed With Love, who begin Ramar's indoctrination into serial lives: ``What happens is that when you are ready to be born you scrunch yourself up into a tiny speck of light, not even as big as the head of a pin. Then you concentrate on Earth and the people there, and before you know it, you will find yourself among them. Floating here. Floating there. Looking for the person you want to be.'' Ramar's lessons go on as if listed by William Bennett: Faith, Truth, Love, and even Death: ``Everyone who lives on earth must one day die, but you should not be afraid because death is just like being born except in a different direction. You slip out of your body the way you came in, and soon you are back with all of us who love you. That is all that it ever is.'' Unlike Pilgrim's Progress, however, Hare's debut novel offers nothing for its hero to overcome: He is just talked to all the way, though at one point he must put up with three foolish divines who warn him strongly about hell and punishment. But his chipper teachers pooh-pooh that. For a climax, he meets a lamb called The Shepherd, who tells Ramar about being crucified and the need for God's light in each of us. Neither Bach nor Gibran, though the pictures may help. Pablum either way, however sellable. (First printing of 50,000; Literary Guild alternate selection) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0312140312
• ISBN 13: 9780312140311
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128