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CollectionAges 5–8Illustrated Chapter Books

Rabbit and Bear

A universe by Julian Gough

A funny, warm illustrated chapter-book series about friendship, forest animals, big feelings and a rabbit who is often confidently wrong.

  • Series

    1
  • Books

    6
  • Best for

    5–8
  • Status

    Complete

At a glance

Primary creator
Julian Gough
First book
Rabbit and Bear: Rabbit's Bad Habits · 2016
Tone
Funny, Warm, Gentle, Silly
Overall sensitivity
Low

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

Rabbit and Bear is Julian Gough and Jim Field's funny, warm early chapter-book franchise about a bossy rabbit, a thoughtful bear and a forest full of animals learning how to live together. The books are short, highly illustrated and very readable aloud, with a lovely mix of toilet humour, seasonal adventure, friendship tension and surprisingly useful emotional wisdom. Rabbit is anxious, controlling and often wrong; Bear is calmer, kinder and more reflective. Together they make a brilliant bridge from picture books into chapter books for children who still need pictures, jokes and warmth on every page.

A funny, warm illustrated chapter-book series about friendship, forest animals, big feelings and a rabbit who is often confidently wrong.

Primary themes

Tone palette

  • Funny
  • Warm
  • Gentle
  • Silly

The series

One way in.

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

What Rabbit and Bear has done

  • Bestseller list

Cultural ubiquity

3/ 5

Well-known to people who know the room.

Sensitivity

Low, and collection-wide.

LowCollection-wide

Across the collection

All 6 books.

About the creator

Julian Gough.

Julian Gough

Author

Julian Gough: Irish author of the Rabbit and Bear early-chapter-book series (with Jim Field) — gleefully silly on top, emotionally serious underneath, for ages 5–8.

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