Lion vs. Rabbit by Alex Latimer
My rating: 5/5 cats
it is entirely coincidental that i am reviewing this book during this whole “goodreads inelegantly cracking down on bullies” situation.
i had no idea what this was about when i requested it from netgalley—i just saw a rabbit and knew i had to read it.
this book is about a lion who is a bully. not the kind of bully who helpfully points out that an author is attacking reviewers on a website, or has written something morally questionable. this book presents actual bullying, not consumer reporting.
and that’s an important distinction.
because there are true bullies in the world, genuine menaces that can do more damage than simply pointing out that actions have consequences, that we live in a very small world, and that there will be tweeting.
here are some examples of bullying:
giving a buffalo a wedgie.
stealing a hyena’s lunch monkey.
sticking a silly note on a zebra’s back.
eventually, the animals get fed up with the bullying, but no one wants to take a stand. they are too afraid of the seemingly impervious lion, so big and so strong, and with such a loud roar. SO much sound and fury.
so they outsource. they band together and reach out for help from animals better equipped to bring down the bully, through a computer, of all things. many animals respond to the ad, but they all fail in different ways. the lion will not go down, no matter with what challenges he is presented.
but then one more animal picks up the gauntlet.
a tiny, and very adorable rabbit.
and despite being only just a humble little creature, he succeeds where others have failed, winning one challenge after another. small victories, but they add up, and eventually, the lion must concede, and agrees to stop bullying the other animals, who were just living their lives, doing what animals do, and did not deserve to be singled out for abuse or punishment.
i’m not going to tell you how this is achieved, because it is a delightful little surprise for the reader, suffice it to say that when dealing with an actual bullying situation, and not a justified reaction to poorly-considered behavior, a little rabbit will triumph by any means necessary.
it’s a good lesson.
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