posted on 31 Mar 2016

Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotov and Maurice Sendak

This was one of my daughter's favourite picture books when she was little and, partly because of this, I have always had a great affection for it. It is a relatively short uneventful but beautifully illustrated story first published in 1962 about a little girl with no name who asks the advice of a large friendly rabbit in choosing the components of a birthday present for her mother. 

Reading it again now I realise that the character of Mr Rabbit is actually a very strange, slightly sinister human sized creature with several cultural echoes. These include the rabbit in the film 'Harvey' who is the friend of the main character, although whether he is imagined or otherwise is never made quite clear. Another relevant more recent film that comes to mind is 'Donny Darco' which depicts the gradual coming of age/ mental breakdown of a teenage boy who sees another huge rabbit figure, which in this case seems to embody danger and doom. But of course, children would not usually be bothered by these connotations and in a way I really wish I wasn't. For many children there is possibly a connection with the Easter Rabbit - a familiar figure who seems to promise the pleasure of multiple chocolate eggs to children who are good but who also can also withhold his bounty from naughty children. And even more deeply culturally embedded is the figure of The White Rabbit from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' who is anything but friendly and helpful as that story unfolds.

However, let's focus on Mr Rabbit in this gentle story who, unlike some of the above rabbits, is consistently jolly kind and helpful. When the little girl first meets or possibly imagines him, he is lounging against a grassy bank with his arms crossed behind his head as if just waiting to offer advice. He walks along with her and when she explains that she is trying to think of a suitable birthday present to give to her mother, he goes on to suggest that she should compile a fruit basket based around all the colours that her mother loves. Collecting the different fruit provides the repetitive to and fro rhythm of the narrative. Each colour is proposed in turn and Mr Rabbit then suggests a range of items until they mutually settle on a suitably coloured fruit. And so the basket is gradually filled and by the end page it is ready to be given as a lovely present.

As I indicated earlier, not an awful lot happens in the story but it is the sublime illustrations as the pair meander along that make this book such a memorable classic for me. Maurice Sendak's children are always solidly drawn, looking as if they enjoy their food and this little girl is no exception. She wears quite a traditional sensible skirt and cardigan and a straw hat that give her a timeless quality. She also has a very confident demeanour that reassures me that she always has the situation under control, just in case she should feel uncomfortable with Mr Rabbit. Overall it has It has the feel of a long hot lazy summer afternoon, slowly changing into a warm still pleasant evening and then a starry moonlit night. How does Sendak convey the feeling of general wellbeing throughout the book? I think that it is because of the colours he uses to depict the dreamy landscapes which are somehow both soft and luminous - very Monet-like in atmosphere. 

This is a gorgeous book which I hope you will enjoy if you haven't come across it before. Mine is an ex library copy which, as you can see, is a little bit defaced on the cover and frontispiece with a stamp. Most worryingly it was withdrawn in a recent stock cull from a university library that trains future teachers - how very sad.

 

 

Karen Argent

30th March 2016