"The Pest in the Nest" - Rabbit and Bear - a bookwrap

Please meet Bear and Rabbit. They are best of friends. Then one day a new forest creature arrives and things get a little unnerving....

  "Hurray for Rabbit & Bear!" - Neil Gaiman

Unwrapping

"Rabbit & Bear: The Pest in the Nest"

By Julian Gough

Illustrated by Jim Field

* Ages:  5-8
* Grade Level:  1-3
* Hardcover:  112 pages
* Publisher:  Hodder Children's Books; 01 edition
* Pub. Date:  Jan. 12, 2017
* Language:  English



Editorial Reviews

Full of humour - a real joy to read (Parents In Touch)

This is a laugh-out-loud, soon-to-be-your favourite story (Fallen Star Stories)

The Rabbit and Bear series ... goes from strength to strength with The Pest in the Nest, in which Spring has sprung and Rabbit is out of sorts with everyone, whether they're loud and happy or sad and slow. His belligerence ("I'm angry! And I want to be calm!" So I'm angry that I'm angry!") and Bear's wry, gentle responses are illuminated by Field's radiant palette of yellow-greens and greys, creating an utterly seductive book (The Guardian)

Who could fail to love this gorgeously illustrated tale? (Sunday Business Post)

An utterly seductive book (The Guardian)

Rabbit just wants a moment of peace -- will Bear be able to teach him to view the world from a new perspective? (Little London)

Unwrapping some great illustrations for you

Unwrapping the story

This is a delightful humorous story about an over-emotional and over-sensitive Rabbit who tends to dwell on negativity.  He spends the winter with his friend Bear in her cave but finally has had it with the loud, thunderous snoring and decides it's time to go back to his own burrow.  He exits the cave and discovers that Spring has sprung!  Energized with the sense of a new season he decides it's time for housecleaning his home.   He is scared out of his wits as he discovers an unwelcome tenant there.Tortoise. He quickly evicts the trespasser from his premises.  How dare he encroach on his turf.  Rabbit takes a break from his hardwork and goes outside and  settles down outside in the sun plunked on top of sleeping Tortoise!  Ahhhhhhh... peace and quiet... life is good.    

It's then he hears a constant BANGING and BANGING, and BANGING that drives him really nuts.  Who or what could be making all that racket and disturbing his fen shui?  

The never ending tapping and banging drives Rabbit to call upon his friend Bear thinking that perhaps together they can solve the origin of the noise and eliminate it completely.  Bear in her quiet  wise way points out to Rabbit that maybe he is overreacting and just maybe he should start looking at the things around him not with a mindset to change them but perhaps... just perhaps... he is the one that needs an attitude change.  She makes these suggestions in a kind and gentle way to her friend. 

This is a story of friendship, tolerance, acceptance, and how to see the world from a different perspective.  Rabbit embraces the idea of seeing the good in things around him and not always the bad things.         The attitude shift causes the whole vibe of the forest to change. The illustrations are simply wonderful and enrich the text so much. They are full of expression, emotion and animation and sure to bring a smile to your face.   I love the book and highly recommend it.   

Storywraps Rating - 5 +++ HUGS!!!!!  

Meet the author

Julian Gough is the author of four acclaimed novels, three beloved children’s books, two BBC radio plays, a successful stage play, and a partridge in a pear tree. He also wrote the ending to Time Magazine’s 2011 computer game of the year, Minecraft.

In his youth, he sang with underground literary pop band Toasted Heretic on four albums, and had a top ten hit in Ireland with the single Galway and Los Angeles. He won the BBC National Short Story Award in 2007, and was shortlisted, twice, for the Everyman Bollinger Wodehouse Prize. A poetry collection, Free Sex Chocolate, was published in 2010, and in 2013 he had a UK number one Kindle Single with the comic novella CRASH! His latest novel, Connect, was published by Picador in 2018.

His Rabbit & Bear children’s books (illustrated by the great Jim Field) are now published in 25 languages. The first book, Rabbit's Bad Habits, was shortlisted for an Irish Book of the Year Award in 2016; its French translation won the Prix Livrentête in 2018. The sequel, The Pest in the Nest, was  shortlisted for both an Irish Book of the Year Award, and the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award.

Julian has also been writer in residence in Trinity College Dublin, the University of Limerick, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

About the illustrator

Jim Field is an award-winning illustrator, character designer and animation director. From music videos and title sequences to advertising and picture books, Jim has worked on a variety of projects.

His first picture book, ‘Cats Ahoy’ written by Peter Bently won the Booktrust Roald Dahl Funny Prize in 2011 Since then he has won multiple awards including Oscar’s Book Prize, Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards and the Lollies Book Award. He is perhaps best known for drawing frogs on logs in the bestselling picture book ‘Oi Frog!’

He has illustrated children's books with Kes Gray, Julian Gough, Michelle Robinson, Rachel Bright, Jeanne Willis, Steve Cole and comedian David Baddiel.

He grew up in Farnborough, worked in London and now lives in Paris with his wife and young daughter.

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