Official Review: Pierre Rabbit by A.C. Murphy

[AvidBibliophile]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Pierre Rabbit" by A.C. Murphy.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Pierre Rabbit: I Don’t Want to Be a Rabbit Anymore is a children’s book by author A.C. Murphy. It is also the first book in the Talking Animal Collection series. As the tale begins, a multitude of well-dressed bunnies are diligently making preparations for their annual Easter festival, and most of the festivities center around the Rabbit King Pageant. While most of the participants love the tradition, one little rabbit does not. His name is Pierre and he’d rather be one of Santa’s helpers. His mother tells him he is too small and too warm-natured to survive such a taxing role in such a frigid environment, but he’s determined to help Santa and his reindeer deliver Christmas presents. Against his mother’s advice, he ties up his belongings in a polka-dot handkerchief and starts walking to the North Pole. As he embarks upon his journey, Pierre faces many dangerous challenges and hurdles. Will he succeed in finally fulfilling his dream, or will the snow, icicles, and lack of edible grass make him realize his plan is not altogether feasible?

This story was spread over 24 pages, and half of those pages featured full-page illustrations. Throughout the book, all of the rabbits wore colorful clothes and hopped upright on two legs. All illustrations were provided by Christian Faith Publishing, and they did a great job of visually depicting the written passages. Each page of bordered text featured a line of decorative scrollwork that gave the words a whimsical quality, and while I did encounter several small grammatical errors throughout the story, those were the only aspects of this book I disliked.

I enjoyed seeing the evolution of Pierre’s emotional maturity as this tale progressed. He had to determine whether to follow his head or follow his heart, and the choice wasn’t always easy to make. He genuinely had to learn some things the hard way, and he had to gain the ability to recognize which aspects of his life were actually reassuring blessings in disguise. Sometimes, we don’t truly realize what we’ve got until it’s gone, and we may take some things for granted that are, in fact, irreplaceable. The book also concludes with a brief list of discussion questions that parents or teachers can use to gain insightful feedback from the reader.

I think kids would enjoy the presence of adorably descriptive phrases, such as “cute little cottontails,” and they might giggle at the fact that the red-nosed reindeer in this book is named Randolph. I will say that Santa Claus was never actually pictured in the story, but that’s simply because the main character’s ultimate decision took him on a detour down a different path. I think diligent readers would potentially benefit a great deal from the embedded lessons of gratitude and friendship in this book, but all little readers would probably love the choice of illustrations.

Due simply to the presence of errors, I award this unique storybook a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I feel that this book would be most appropriate for children between four and seven years of age. I would recommend it to any young reader who loves animal adventure books or holiday-themed short stories. Tales like this can help kids understand why the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.

******
Pierre Rabbit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[RetiredOBNurse]

This book sounds adorable for young readers! You write in such a descriptive way that I could envision how fancy the rabbits were dressed for the annual Easter festival! I also could see Pierre with his polka-dot handkerchief full of his belongings headed to the North Pole! I wonder what path he took in the end? And yes, I learned long ago the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence, but most of us have to learn that by tasting it just to see!

[AvidBibliophile]

This book sounds adorable for young readers! You write in such a descriptive way that I could envision how fancy the rabbits were dressed for the annual Easter festival! I also could see Pierre with his polka-dot handkerchief full of his belongings headed to the North Pole! I wonder what path he took in the end? And yes, I learned long ago the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence, but most of us have to learn that by tasting it just to see!

Pierre definitely had frosty aspirations to work alongside Christmas elves and reindeer, but he didn’t fully grasp how unsuited his little rabbit self might be for such a role! This was a sweet book, so I appreciate your kind words of support!

[Jagiine]

This sounds like a cute tale! I hope that, regardless of where he wound up, Peter learned to appreciate things back home. Thanks for your review!

[AvidBibliophile]

This sounds like a cute tale! I hope that, regardless of where he wound up, Peter learned to appreciate things back home. Thanks for your review!

Little Pierre ended up feeling blessed beyond measure, he just had to learn how to feel so in his own way and time! Thank you for the hoppy words.

[markodim721]

I like that the traditions of the two big holidays are connected through the story.

[AvidBibliophile]

I like that the traditions of the two big holidays are connected through the story.

That aspect surprised me too! It’s not often that you read a story where an Easter bunny would prefer to be one of Santa’s Christmas reindeer! Thank you for stopping by to read and comment.

[Kirsi Cultrera]

Wow, this story is so cute! A little rabbit walking to a North Pole in order to become Santa’s helper! I simply love this! And I am sure this book offers numerous useful lessons. I am always seeking good children’s books to read with my kids and this sure sounds good. Anyway, I hope they take your advice and correct the errors.

Thanks for a heart-warming review!

[AvidBibliophile]

Wow, this story is so cute! A little rabbit walking to a North Pole in order to become Santa’s helper! I simply love this! And I am sure this book offers numerous useful lessons. I am always seeking good children’s books to read with my kids and this sure sounds good. Anyway, I hope they take your advice and correct the errors.

Thanks for a heart-warming review!

Thank you! Pierre was such a determined little guy. He simply didn’t want to be a rabbit anymore. He wanted to be a reindeer, but being a cold-weather creature of the north wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. But he had to discover that for himself.
I do hope a future revision produces a version of this book that excels in every way because this story deserves the applause! I think kids would love the quirky holiday blend of seasons.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

Pierre was so courageous to follow his dream, and I am sure that his adventure helped him a lot. It seems like a lovely book with so many useful lessons for the young minds and hearts. Great job!

[AvidBibliophile]

Pierre was so courageous to follow his dream, and I am sure that his adventure helped him a lot. It seems like a lovely book with so many useful lessons for the young minds and hearts. Great job!

So many useful lessons for sure! He hopped off into the horizon with courageous determination, but things were tougher than he anticipated. Sometimes it’s nice to just embrace who you were actually born to be. Thank you!

[Joyful17]

Children's books and animal adventures are my favorite theme. Thanks for a thorough review.

[AvidBibliophile]

Children's books and animal adventures are my favorite theme. Thanks for a thorough review.

They’re definitely some of my favorites too! Appreciate you stopping by to check out this rabbit adventure.

[Dzejn_Crvena]

Amazing review!
I giggled when you mentioned about Randolph the reindeer.
Sounds like a cute kind of adventure.
I like children's books like this: perfect for teaching lessons to kids.

[AvidBibliophile]

Amazing review!
I giggled when you mentioned about Randolph the reindeer.
Sounds like a cute kind of adventure.
I like children's books like this: perfect for teaching lessons to kids.

Hehe, yep! Randolph the red-nosed reindeer
That creative name assignment had me giggling too. It was definitely a cute and hoppy adventure tale! Thanks for your sweet words!