The Squirrel, the Hare and the Little Grey Rabbit

Story

Little Grey Rabbit lives in a little house in the woods with Squirrel and Hare. When a weasel comes to live nearby, everything changes and the three friends have to stick together and be brave. A great story of loyalty and friendship, in a nostalgic country setting.

Why we chose it

Gentle, nostalgic, old- fashioned stories with charming characters. Alison Uttley loved the countryside and filled her illustrations with details drawn from her country childhood.

Where it came from

Alison Uttley (1984 – 1976), who loved science and was the second woman ever to get an honours degree in physics at Manchester University, also believed in fairytales and felt that her characters were real and alive. Stories started to come to her at a painting exhibition in 1927, when a professor asked her if she was still writing, getting confused with another ex-student. Alison must have thought “Why not?” and started off her career, which gave her the chance to take care of herself and her son financially.

Where it went next

The Little Grey Rabbit books were adapted for television in a daytime programme with glove puppets (1950), and then became an animated TV series created by Cosgrove Hall Films with the voices of Hugh Laurie, Pauline Collins and Andrew Sachs (2000).

Associated Stories

The popularity of Alison Uttley’s stories grew further with lively sequels. Other titles are: The Great Adventure of Hare (1931), The Story of Fuzzypeg the Hedgehog, (1932), How Little Grey Rabbit Got Back Her Tail (1934), and Little Grey Rabbit’s Christmas (1940).