Unbound
May 2024
ISBN: 9781783528851
RRP: AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99
Distributed by New South Books
This is probably one of the most difficult books to categorise I’ve ever read. Is it a picture book? Well,it’s very heavily and beautifully illustrated but I would need to call it an ‘extended’ picture book because it is quite a lengthy narrative for this style. Also, it is actually not ‘new’ as such. Read Jackie Morris’ explanation of this edition and you’ll see what I mean.
It has the feel of a medieval fable or morality tale to me and certainly, hares have been significant in many of these. They have also long been the subject of art and culture for their deemed attributes of fecundity, and as a fertility symbol. For the ancients they were associated with Aphrodite, in the Celtic tradition they were sacred to the White Goddess and Eostre changed into a hare at the full moon and in medieval times, some thought that witches took the form of hares to wreak mischief.
Legends, myths, superstitions and folktales about these creatures abound all around the world. Jackie Morris’ has crafted a story that has an ethereal feel to it, as a family dedicates itself to care of the hares and raise the orphaned leverets, this all because this family is special. They are the Guardians of the Golden Queen Hare.
Every fifty years or so a new mate will vy for the Queen in order to provide a new queen. The boy and his sister of this family find themselves following the hare chase that precedes the choosing of the mate for the Queen. But they are not the only ones following, because not everyone wants the golden hare to be safe.
It is an exciting story of loyalty and trust and right vs wrong which older children will enjoy, and which will also give rise to some interesting discussions and an opportunity for some fascinating research into the myths of these animals.
Aside from the very different storyline, the artwork is very beautiful. I would love to see kiddos painting their own hares, perhaps in a style that echoes a particular period of time in their mythology. I’m giving it a recommendation for older kiddos and it could very easily be used right up to secondary particularly as a prompt for creative writing so it’s a 4 🐰🐰🐰🐰 rating for this one.
Hare mythology: why we’re all mad for hares
Animal Folklore: Chasing Hares Through Stories, Myth, and Legend
Just So Stories 
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