THE RABBIT'S GIFT

A privileged girl and a starving rabbit unwittingly endanger their interdependent communities.

Longing to be a hero, Quincy Rabbit lives with his family in the Warren, where cabbagelike plants called Chou de vie, each containing a human baby, are grown and transported nightly to humans of Montpeyroux in exchange for purple carrots the rabbits need to live on. With Chou deliveries declining due to decreased human demand, the rabbits are starving, prompting Quincy to surreptitiously leave the Warren in search of purple carrot seeds, which he locates in a garden shed, unaware Fleurine d’Aubigné is watching him. The spoiled only child of the governing Grand Lumière, presumably White 12-year-old Fleurine is trying to grow purple carrots on her own in order to acquire a longed-for baby sister. Spying Quincy stealing her seeds, she secretly follows him to the Warren, where she steals a Chou, oblivious to how her actions will impact the Warren and Montpeyroux. Discovering his own actions accidentally led Fleurine to the Warren, Quincy knows he must undo the damage he’s caused. Narrating their stories in alternating voices, Quincy and Fleurine pass the blame as she desperately tries to protect and hide the stolen Chou while Quincy valiantly attempts to rescue and return it to the Warren. Both walk a fine line between hero and villain in this original tale based in part on European folklore.

A clever tale of rabbits, cabbage babies, purple carrots, mistakes made, and lessons learned.