One of my husband's favorite books is Watership Down by Richard Adams. He suggested we read it together this summer & at first I found it boring, however, now that we are deeper into the heart of the novel, my interest grows. It is unlike any book I have ever read due to the interacting characters being rabbits.
They are not personified rabbits either (as I am accustomed to in children's stories). The protagonists speak through animal instinct & carry themselves likewise. They even have their own language/terms for activities or their surroundings such as "silflay" which means to go above the ground to feed & "Elil" signifying man or animal that is harmful.
Their names are also endearing: Fiver, Hazel, Blackberry, Silver, Dandelion, Pipkin etc.
To give you an idea of what I am describing here is one of my favorite parts:
"I should be sorry to quarrel over it, " said Hazel firmly, "but some of us need to silflay. We're used to it, and rain doesn't bother us."
Cowslip seemed taken aback for a moment. Then he laughed. The phenomenon of laughter is unknown to animals; though it is possible that dogs and elephants may have some inkling of it. The effect on Hazel and Blackberry was overwhelming. Hazel's first idea was that Cowslip was showing the symptom of some kind of disease..." (Page 93)
(It is no wonder, in light of their perspective of the "strange" rabbit, that Pipkin says they remind him of Trees in November. )
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