The Adventures of Peter Cottontail

This novel by Thornton W. Burgess revolves around one of the most energetic and most complex characters in the Green Meadow, Peter Cottontail, also known as Peter Rabbit. He is smart and mischievous, loved by most of the other characters and always looking for adventures, like only the best rabbits can.At the beginning of the story, the rabbit doesn’t even have a name – well, he does have one, but it is one that is way too common for his colorful character – so his first quest is for a name. When that quest is accomplished, he starts pursuing others, such as outsmarting the smartest animal in the Meadow, Reddy Fox. Readers who are already familiar with Burgess’ fables will be happy to meet characters known from other stories such as Unc’ Billy Possum, Jerry Muskrat or Ol’ Mistah Buzzard, some of whom befriend the little rabbit, some of whom dislike him, but all of whom accompany him in his exploits. The story is full of unexpected turns, Peter is never afraid to jump headfirst into life, making good decisions sometimes, bad decisions on other occasions (for example when he tries to hibernate like other creatures in the forest do).Like all the other fables by Burgess, The Adventures of Peter Cottontail is also much more than a funny and well-written story for children. It is also an educative story that comes with a gently formulated moral conclusion: the little rabbit becomes content when he finds out what his true nature is, whenever he tries to mimic someone else, he remains restless to do something else. Children of all ages will enjoy the great story of the long-whiskered little rodent and the book will surely provide food for thought and inspire great conversations about the conclusion and about the natural world.