First published 1980
Davie wakes up each morning amazed by his good fortune. There in his grandfather's barn sits Shadrach, a small black rabbit that belongs to him alone. For weeks, Davie treasures his pet, hardly believing his luck. The rabbit represents everything wonderful in his world. Then disaster strikes. Shadrach manages to squeeze through the wooden slats of his hutch and vanishes into the countryside. Davie faces the heartbreak of losing something precious. The boy who had never felt such joy now confronts the pain that comes with loving something you might lose. His search for the missing rabbit becomes a journey through both the physical landscape around his grandfather's farm and the emotional territory of hope and despair.
Genres: fiction, animals, family-life, 20th-century, coming-of-age
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, grief
Setting: Grandfather's Farm
Period: 20th Century
182 pages · Paperback · HarperColl