Alison Uttley’s Little Grey rabbit books are as popular and sought-after today as they’ve ever been. Even though they have been reprinted many times the value of the first and early editions continues to rise. I've been busy listing several of these little books today and thought you might like to see details and illustrations from some of them.
Grey Rabbit's May Day; one night, just before May Day, Hare steals into the village and dances around the Maypole. When he tells little Grey Rabbit and Squirrel about it, they decide to hold their own celebration. Soon, all the woodland animals are preparing for the wonderful day, making garlands and crowns of spring flowers. But Wise Owl tells them that they need to have the most special flower of all, the Crown Imperial, for the sceptre. Who is brave enough to go to the village to find one?
Little Grey Rabbit's birthday is on Midsummer Day, and Squirrel and Hare are planning a wonderful surprise for her. They are busy baking a cake and getting ready for the big day, but Little Grey Rabbit is feeling very left out...Little Grey rabbit's birthday and Grey Rabbit's May Day are now sold, but we do have other Grey rabbit books for sale here
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Little Grey Rabbit's Party Grey Rabbit and her friends wanted to give a party like the one they saw through the window of the farmhouse, but they didn't know how to go about it. Then Wise Owl found a book called "how to give a party," with hide the thimble and forfeits and iced cake. Now they could have a party to remember... Little Grey Rabbit and the weasels down in the dell in a dark little house lived a family of weasels. One day they stole eggs from Speckledy Hen, and the next day captured Little Grey Rabbit - what happened to her, and how she was rescued from the weasels is told in this story. Little Grey Rabbit's Party and Little Grey Rabbit and the weasels are now sold, thank you for your interest.
Little Grey rabbit makes lace when Hare saw an old woman sitting at her door making pillow-lace he took lessons and then showed Grey Rabbit how to do it. A tale based on lace-making in Buckinghamshire.
Little Grey rabbit makes lace is now sold, thank you for your interest.
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The Knot Squirrel Tied; Little Grey Rabbit lives with Squirrel and Hare in a little house on the edge of a wood. Not far away lives Rat, whose days are quite miserable since Squirrel tied a big knot in his tail. Now Rat can't hunt without his tail clumping behind him and giving him away. Then something quite out of the ordinary happens - and no one is more surprised than Rat! The Speckledy Hen; one morning in spring, when the primroses and cowslips were out in the fields, and the violets were blue under the hedges, the Speckledy Hen took a walk. She was looking for a house for herself. She had decided to leave the farmyard with all its noisy company and live alone. Where she found her house, how she moved in and what she did there is all in this sweet little book.
To find out more about Alison Uttley The Alison Uttley Society website is a very good place to start.
I only discovered the Little Grey Rabbit books when my son was born. Did you know about them when you were small?
Hi Barbara - I was just going to comment that I had never heard of these before - and then you asked just that in your last sentence. They are such lovely books! I had a look at some of them on your website and was surprised to find they were published right in the middle of my childhood - just when I would have expected to have come across them. The illustrations are beautiful and the stories sound so charming I'm sorry no one thought to give me one when I was small!
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara,
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful blog! Thanks for the email, I'm a follower.
My blog is homeiswherethebookis.blogspot.com
Kristen
These books are so beautiful! I love the covers and illustrations. I read some of these with my grandma when I was little (at her house). I don't think we read all of them. I wonder if rhe books are still at her house somewhere. I'll have to ask my aunts who now own the house! :) Thanks for a delightful post!
ReplyDelete~Stephanie
Hello Sharon, they are really popular now so someone must remember them from their childhood, but I don’t remember them from mine. I do remember buying one or two when Steven was a boy, but I think that was probably more for my benefit than his! Steve liked more boyish things – like Stig of the dump and Dr. Who.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristen, I'm following you too.
ReplyDeleteThese books are so beautiful! I love the covers and illustrations. I read some of these with my grandma when I was little (at her house). I don't think we read all of them. I wonder if rhe books are still at her house somewhere. I'll have to ask my aunts who now own the house! :) Thanks for a delightful post!
ReplyDelete~Stephanie
Hi Stephanie, something prevented your comment showing on my blog (I think it was just a glitch) – so I’ve posted it like this – I hope that’s OK.
It’s lovely to find someone who remembers these from their childhood. I hope they are safe at your aunt's house, and that you get to read them again one day.
I love these illustrations. I just want to hug every one of these rabbits.
ReplyDeleteI’ve passed on your hugs and the rabbits said, thank you.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I just love the Little Grey Rabbit books, they are so...vintage. I admit to liking them more than Peter Rabbit and I think I should add these to my bucket list of books.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, I don’t think you are alone in liking Little Grey Rabbit more than the Beatrix Potter books. The Little Grey Rabbit books certainly sell more easily than Peter Rabbit – but maybe that is because early Peter Rabbit books are usually more expensive than Grey Rabbit. There are a lot of rabbits in the sentence – I hope it makes sense!
ReplyDeleteDo you think you would be able to find them easily in Australia? We found some lovely books last time we visited but none were Little Grey Rabbit.