"When the fox snaps at your heel,
Don't become the villain's meal!"

My mother used to read this to me in Flemish, and I still remember wishing that I could be a bunny. Preferably one who lived in a cozy rabbit hole with my well-fed rabbit family. This German children's tale translates well into English and a David R. Godine book is always a treasure.

The tale works well in today's world, reminding children to be civil (a lost quality) and to be very wary of the sly fox (strangers). Oh how I long to once again have one of those boxy knapsacks stuffed with pencils and apples and homemade bread slathered with butter and chocolate.

Book Season = Autumn (when school starts and apples can be picked) ( )

Originally published in 1924, Die Häschenschule (Rabbit School) is apparently one of the enduring classics of German children's literature, akin to Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I wish I could say that I was surprised, as a consequence, that this 2009 translation marks its first appearance in English, but given the state of children's publishing, and the general shortage of translated children's books, I'm not.

Howsoever that may be, with a rhyming text - "Bunny Hans and Bunny Gretchen, / Paw in paw, they look so fetching. / Happily they skip along / With the gath'ring bunny throng" - that is fun to read aloud, and adorable illustrations by Fritz Koch-Gotha, Rabbit School is an appealing little book. Young readers will get a kick out of the subjects - from evading the wicked fox, to painting Easter Eggs - taught at this leporine school.

I do think that the scene in which the teacher disciplines Bunny Max by giving his ear a tug may be somewhat distressing for very sensitive children - although it is certainly no worse than the treatment accorded the little rabbits in Tao Nyeu's recent Bunny Days - so parents should be aware. The rhyming scheme also sometimes felt a little strained, although - given the difficulty of translating poetry - that was probably an unavoidable result of its transition to English. Despite these quibbles, this is a book I would recommend to young readers, particularly those who like bunny-type tales. It's about time it was available to English-speakers! ( )

Even though I enjoyed this book when I was a child, the image of the strict teacher who brooked no dissent among his little pupils actually made me dread the first day of school. Of course, school ended up not being horrible at all for me, but the anticipation of perhaps encountering a very strict teacher who would punish any misbehaving students was not pleasant. I would certainly not go so far as to say that this classic German picture book should not be read by children, rather that some of the more traditional viewpoints etc. might need to be discussed or explained to them. ( )