Sometimes, when I'm walking with my younger daughter, especially in the early morning or evening when the sun is low in the sky and our shadows are long, we play what we call the Shadow Game. As she steps on my shadow, I squeal in mock pain. My shadow bonks her shadow on the head. Our shadows seem to have minds of their own.
Young children are fascinated by shadows. In
Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats, the child jumps to separate himself from his shadow, but when he lands they are reunited.
In
The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers, a rabbit is frightened by a big Black Rabbit which turns out to be, of course, his shadow. No matter how he tries, he can't escape this scary giant. But, in a plot twist reminiscent of
The Gruffalo, in the end the rabbit uses the creature he was once scared of to scare others.
This book will delight shadow-lovers everywhere.
I bought the Black Rabbit last Saturday as a birthday present for one of Violet's friends. I read it in the store and loved the story (and the drawings even more).
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading The Black Rabbit with my son. It looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read The Black Rabbit. I think I have it on hold, but the BPL is sooooo slow at getting new releases sometimes! Thanks for sharing at The Children's Bookshelf.
ReplyDeleteOHHH! I've never seen the black rabbit before! That looks fantastic- I'm wanting to get my hands on that right away. Love the shadow game :)
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