The Hare, the Squirrel, and the Little Grey Rabbit

 

The Hare, the Squirrel, and the Little Grey Rabbit by Allison Uttley, illustrated by Margaret Tempest. 1928
Little Grey Rabbit ‘s Story Treasury – 2013

Twenty-three watercolor illustrations

Superficially The Hare, the Squirrel, and the Little Grey Rabbit by Alison Uttley is a diverting tale of some animals. In some small ways it is reminiscent of Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. It was written and published decades ago amidst the end of World War I, and yet it remains in print. I think if there is a moral to this tale, it’s cautioning against the vices of laziness, pride and conceit. It’s not uncommon in children’s literature to use animals to teach morals. Also, it has the enduring message of good citizenship and being part of a community.

Uttley begins by using clothing to highlight her characters differences. Hare and Squirrel have two sets: everyday and Sunday. Grey Rabbit only has one dress with contrast collar and cuffs that sounds like the uniform of an Edwardian maid or nurse. It is entirely suitable for all the hard work and caring she does. Oppositely, Squirrel’s dresses have frills and Hare, though Uttley only described the color of his coats, Margaret Tempest depicted him in nonworking clothes: a coat, tie and high neck collar. Their clothing is more suited to idle leisure. This occurs again with Milkman Hedgehog, Uttley did not describe his clothes, but Tempest appropriately illustrated him wearing a very English workingman’s smock.

Beyond being small mammals and herbivores, Grey Rabbit is different from Hare and Squirrel because she is brave, considerate, selfless and a hard worker. For example, Squirrel fusses with impatience because the milk is late and dismisses the milkman’s reason for the delay. Grey Rabbit is the opposite, she tells the Milkman Hedgehog “You must take care you don’t get caught, even if we do go without milk” (Uttley 25). Grey Rabbit is quite ready to do without unnecessary goods, but Squirrel and Hare are not. They insist she ventures out for carrots and teasel. In fact, Hare never even considers going out to find carrots himself, even before they know a Weasel is in the neighborhood. They both diminish the threat of the weasel in the neighborhood, but are quite ready to hole up in the house for safety.

Ironically Grey Rabbit’s selflessness leads her to perform actions that make her similar to her antagonist the Weasel. Initially I thought it was curious that Weasel is the only designated “savage” and “cruel” in a book of anthropomorphic animals. Especially when weasels and rabbits are farm pests. Is it fair to fault the weasel for doing what is in his nature? Not really, because Weasel is a carnivore and an invader in a woodland community populated by herbivores, and the story is told with a bias from their perspective. For example, Wise Owl is a carnivore but there is an existing truce between him and the community and he is a useful contributor as the community’s official source of knowledge.

 

Lets look at how Weasel and Grey Rabbit are similar. They are natural prey for Wise Owl. In search of food they both trespass and take what is not theirs. Weasel breaks into Grey Rabbit’s house and hunts her friends, whereas Grey Rabbit enters the farmer’s gated garden for carrots and later the village shop for seeds[1]. They both live in houses and are depicted as workers. Grey Rabbit works hard preparing meals and gathering wood fuel. Likewise the Weasel goes out hunting, and gathers wood to cook Hare and Squirrel all proper, and in a roasting pan complete with drippings. They both demonstrate deductive reasoning, although Weasel comes to the wrong conclusion. He studies the rabbit’s tracks near the creek, which Grey Rabbit purposely doubled back on, and wrongly concludes she fell in and drowned. Grey Rabbit sees flattened grass and correctly deduces that the weasel bagged her friends and dragged them away.

They are different in the fact that Weasel is a loner and invader. He is not contributing to the betterment of the woods, he moves there to prey upon the smaller animals. Grey Rabbit is part of the community and cares for Hare and Squirrel despite their lazy and selfish ways. One is a hunter and the other a cultivator. Grey Rabbit’s house is well taken care of, whereas Weasel’s is a rundown eyesore[2]. Grey Rabbit trespasses for the sake of others; remember it is Hare who wants carrots. She learns from her adventure in the garden that to trespass is to place oneself in a situation to get injured or killed. So she barters and learns how to grow her own garden and stealing the seeds from the store is her final time trespassing for food. Weasel trespasses for his own appetite, but he isn’t given the same learning opportunity as Grey Rabbit—because she kills him. Her final time trespassing is to save her friends and as before there is the risk of being killed, but instead she prevails. Ultimately Grey Rabbit’s motives are justified since they are for the welfare of her community. Her friends are rescued and services such as milk and mail delivery can go on peacefully.

 

Hare and Squirrel nearly perish owing to their selfishness, laziness and cowardice, and Grey Rabbit is saved by her own bravery and selflessness. Even with a weasel in the woods, she ventures out three times; first for carrots and teasel, then for advice and finally for the seeds. Hare and Squirrel insist Grey Rabbit goes out for the carrots and teasel, but they’re actually items they could do without and it’s their appetite and vanity being satisfied. This doubles their selfishness, but they are eventually punished when the weasel comes after them and they are trapped indoors where their natural abilities (Hare’s swiftness and Squirrel’s ability to climb) that may have otherwise saved them outdoors are useless. Grey Rabbit is safe because she is out doing all the work. Note, the same may be said Milkman Hedgehog and Postman Robin; they are out doing their work for the good of the community in spite of the Weasel.

 

Grey Rabbit giving away her tail is significant and a big sacrifice on her part. According to Dirk Semmann, an evolutionary biologist (University of Göttingen), a rabbit’s white tail is an evolutionary boon that helps them to evade predators. The study was done in 2013, but growing up in the country, and as a very observant person, I would imagine Uttley probably had the opportunity to see rabbits and know that the rabbit’s tail has a purpose that befuddles hunters. Hare and Squirrel’s lack of concern magnifies their rudeness, selfishness and silliness.

“In the morning Hare stared at her, “Whatever have you done with your tail?” he asked. “I gave it to Wise Owl,” said Grey Rabbit, hanging her head. “Disgraceful,” said Hare. “Disgracefuller,” said Squirrel, not to be outdone. A big tear rolled down into Grey Rabbit’s tea” (Uttley 35).

They shame her without questioning her motives and are unconcerned when she cries. The reader knows she did it to gain knowledge that they can all benefit from, so at this point in the story Hare and Squirrel come across as particularly selfish and horrid characters and it is a wonder why Grey Rabbit puts up with them, other than didactic purposes. Of course Grey Rabbit wouldn’t be the loveable heroine if she had left them to their fate. I think her finest moment in the story is when she returns to discover her friends gone, quickly deduces what happened, sheds a tear and then sets off to the rescue.

         The Hare, the Squirrel, and the Little Grey Rabbit cautions against laziness, selfishness and promotes good citizenship in a community. Those are enduring messages, and I think that is one of the reasons it continues to resonate with modern audiences. It was published toward the end of Word War I, so the theme of invasion, truces, being in a state of war probably resonated with young and mature readers.

 

The Illustrations
It’s a mixed bag. Some support the text well, and embellish upon it.

 Pg 22.

Oddly enough in the story about Hare and Squirrel at their laziest, the very first illustration depicts Hare and Squirrel working alongside Grey Rabbit in the garden. Hare is even in his shirtsleeves. Squirrel wears her brown weekday dress. I’ve assumed it was a given that Grey Rabbit’s dress was grey per the text, but it looks like Margaret Tempest made that choice.

Pg 23.

Grey Rabbit hanging laundry. It sort of supports the text, but it’s not one of the chores mentioned in the accompanying text. One of my favorite details is their handkerchief drying on what may be lavender or rosemary bushes. It’s a very country touch.

 

Pg 24. Grey Rabbit making daisy head tea.

 

Pg 25 Milkman Hedgehog telling the news. The poses of Grey Rabbit & Hedgehog work with the text. She has a paw to her mouth “Oh dear!” and he has a paw raised in an “I’m telling you…” fashion.

 

Pg 26

Squirrel drinks her milk and holds the poker. Cute, but it looks more like Squirrel is checking out the bottom of the mug, or proving its emptiness.

 

Pg 27 Robin Redbreast and Grey Rabbit.

 

Pg 28 Grey Rabbit nipping off the head of teasel off. I like it when they buck the animals wearing clothes and living in houses genre by biting or licking something—otherwise behaving like an animal.

 

Pg 29 Grey Rabbit Attacked by the farmer

 

Pg 30 Grey Rabbit nursing her paw. She looks sad and lonely.

 

Pg 31 Hare and Squirrel loafing by the fire is one of Tempest’s strongest images. Hare looks particularly relaxed in the rocking chair, enjoying his long pipe. Legs are crossed and an arm is casually draped over the chair arm.

 

Page 32 waving a truce hanky to wise owl.

 

Pg 33. Wise Owl swoops down to take her tail. Cool colors for nighttime lends an appropriate menace to the scene. Grey Rabbit’s ears back and tail lowered convey appropriate dread and anticipated pain. Also, she doesn’t have the spark of light in her eye that is present in every other illustration of LGR.

 

Pg 34. Looks very calm for the first picture of the predatory Weasel.

 

Pg 35. Hare and Squirrel notice her missing tail. The signature white poof is gone. Squirrel looks like she is doing shame fingers. Hare drawn at full height looks like a bully. Grey Rabbit looks sad and has her paws behind her back as though she’s in pain.

 

Pg. 36. Grey Rabbit helping herself to packages of seed. Boxes of Superior Reading Biscuits are behind her, showing how small Grey Rabbit is in a human store. The seed packets look a bit small though.

 

Pg 37 – Running home with the seeds. She looks a little more carefree, probably the prospect of growing some canaries.

 

Pg 38 – Bounding off to the rescue. Hoping across stones in a creek. Armed with rescue tools. Her eyes look a little determined and the house is small in the distance.

 

39 – staking out Weasel’s house. The house looks appropriately gloomy. I love how it looks like she’s doing an army crawl.

 

40. Sneaking in right behind Weasel’s back while he’s busy watching Wise Owl.

 

41. Squirrel’s tale could’ve looked more mussed. I love how Hare’s collar is popped open and it looks like his coat sleeve is torn. Chaise lounge looks suitably shabby.

 

42. Hare and Squirrel escaping. I like how it’s a long rectangle. It suits the descent from the window.

 

43. Grey Rabbit shutting the oven door is rather subdued. Except for her obvious on-tip-toes lean against the oven door, it could almost be mistaken as another illustration of her working. One more picture of the weasel might’ve been better. Maybe with his sharp teeth

 

44. All gathered round celebrating. Hare still looks the worse for wear, Squirrel not so much. A silhouette of a rabbit hangs on the wall.

 

45. Last illustration is Hare, Squirrel and Grey Rabbit celebrating ring-around-the-rosy style. Squirrel and Hare are wearing their Sunday clothes. Grey Rabbit still doesn’t have her tail. Good continuity.

I solemnly promise never to write a post this long ever again. If you read the whole thing and didn’t boggle tl;dr, God bless you!

love,

Primrose

[1] I wonder if Alison Uttley and editors saw this as problematic, in different editions they elaborate on these trespasses and have the animals paying for what they take from the shop with money.

[2] This is a recurring trait of the villains in A.U.’s stories. They live in unkempt homes or are squatters.