After skimming the reviews, I tried to go into this book with an open mind. I usually like "message" books, I think it's important to talk to kids about subjects like this, but I couldn't really get behind this book.

I think it was around the time when the dog and rat think about bringing the rabbit's body back to the rabbit house, but decide against it because it would look bad. Maybe they thought the rabbits would blame them for the death of their family member? Regardless, I wish someone had said, no, that's exactly what you should do, inform the family of the death of their loved one, I'm sure they'll want to know!

The flying of the rabbit as a kite could have been fine for me, if, say, the dog and rat had known the rabbit in life and were friends, if the rabbit had dreamed of flying while it was alive, if the rabbit loved flying kites while it was alive, etc. As it is, they flew a stranger as a kite without knowing if the stranger even would have wanted that...maybe the rabbit was scared of heights when it was alive! If the rabbit was a close friend of the dog and rat, and this was their way of processing their grief, I'd be into that too. But here, I can't help but think about the rabbit's family who may never find out why their loved one never returned home one day. Or maybe they'll go outside and see the body of their family member flying in the air and freak out about it because now they think someone murdered their family member because they had a psychopathic desire for a corpse-kite. Anyway. Put me right in the "I didn't get it" camp for this one! ( )

Like many other reviewers, I'm not entirely sure what to do with this book. Flying the flat rabbit on a kite and asking "do you think she's having a good time?" with the stark answer "I don't know" certainly seems like a metaphor for the afterlife and the fact that we just don't know what happens after we die, but it's such a bizarre one. The author (and translator) are both Faroese so I'm left wondering if this is a cultural disconnect but I'm not sure where to even start trying to figure that out. I had to reread it a couple of times to start to feel comfortable with it. I might recommend it for children who ask questions about roadkill or other unknown animals found dead (although tying them to a kite is not the appropriate response to finding such animals), but it certainly wouldn't be appropriate for coming to terms with the death of someone you know. ( )

An honest, childlike, approach to death that is darkly humorous but also sensitive and profound. Love the simple, minimalist illustrations. ( )

http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/11/18/best-childrens-books-2014/?mc_cid=2fbdcf....

All is quiet as a dog walks along, finds a rabbit flattened by a car, and ponders. Then rat comes along, and the two try to decide what to do about the rabbit. They go to the park to think, and though the text doesn't directly acknowledge it, they are inspired by a child flying a kite. They make a kite and tape the rabbit to the frame, then fly it up into the air (it takes 42 tries). A pensive story, less morbid than the review made it seem.

*

Re-read July 2020 ( )

odd ( )