Watership Down

Watership Down
Richard Adams
Published by Scribner, 1996; ISBN 068483605X
Recommended reading age: teen, adult

Summary:
Sandleford Warren is home to a well-ordered, content band of rabbits. But when one of them has a vision of impending danger, they flee to find safety elsewhere. Watership Down follows this group of rabbits across the countryside as they face countless obstacles, such as cars and wild animals. Richard Adams creates a truly believable rabbit society, filled with social order, history and folktales.

Review:
I’ve always been a fan of talking-animal stories, from Peter Rabbit to Redwall. I love Richard Adams for making a talking-animal story for an older audience. Within the simple concept of rabbits finding a new home, Adams addresses all kinds of social issues, such as violence, sex and death. These issues hit even closer to home because they came through an anthropomorphic story, and I’m a huge animal lover. The book also contains short stories from rabbit folklore, and those were fascinating in and of themselves. I definitely recommend this book to fans of Redwall, to animal lovers, and to anyone who likes a classic adventure odyssey.