Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Hare and the Big Green Lawn
Illustrator: Larry MacDougall
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 8
Rising Moon, 2006 ISBN: 978-0873588898
Hare has moved away from the country and into a little house with a big lawn in a neighborhood. There is a problem with this lawn however. To hare's eyes the grass is far too short; it just did not look right. Luckily Hare has an idea of needs to be done.
When it starts to get hot all of Hare's neighbors begin to water their grass to keep it alive but Hare does nothing and soon his lawn is turning brown. When the rain comes and everything becomes muddy Hare goes out and rolls in the mud, much to the horror of his neighbors. And then, when weeds spring up where the lawn used to be, Hare does not destroy the weeds. Instead he encourages them to grow, he hopes, and he waits.
It is only when Hare's waited for transformation is complete that Raven, Skunk and Bobcat realize what it is that Hare has done and they delight in his beautiful and priceless creation: a meadow.
In this wonderful picture book the author reminds us that we are often surrounded by man-made environments, environments which lack the special beauty and spontaneity that is found in nature. Raven, Skunk, and Bobcat have forgotten that a meadow is a wonderfully colorful sweet-smelling place full of butterflies, bees, and other creatures. A meadow may not be neat and tidy, but it is a joy to sit in and it gives us lots of flowers which we can pick to our hearts content to decorate our homes and to give to others.
At the back of the book the author encourages her readers to create their own meadow and advises them on how to set about creating a natural space which will give them pleasure for years to come.
Lovely paintings capture Hare's excitement as he sets about creating a beautiful and natural space for himself.
