- Comedy
- Rabbit and Bear collection
- Ages 5–8
Rabbit and Bear
Part of the collectionRabbit and Bear→Best for children moving into chapter books who still want lots of pictures, funny animals, gentle wisdom and proper read-aloud charm.
- Books6 / 6
- Arcs1
- Span2016–2021
- StatusComplete
The series
At a glance.
Rabbit and Bear is a six-book illustrated early chapter-book series written by Julian Gough and illustrated by Jim Field. It begins with Rabbit's Bad Habits, a snowy forest comedy about friendship, poo and learning not to judge too quickly, then continues through nests, snacks, night-time fears, bad kings and fake lakes. The books are particularly strong because they balance proper laughs with child-sized emotional insight. Rabbit is not simply naughty; he is scared, proud, jealous, impatient and still learning. Bear's steadier presence gives the series warmth without making it worthy.
Best for children moving into chapter books who still want lots of pictures, funny animals, gentle wisdom and proper read-aloud charm.
Publication order is recommended because Rabbit and Bear's friendship and the wider forest community build across the sequence, though each book has a satisfying standalone plot.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- IStandalone collection arcBooks 1–6 · 2016–2021Low sensitivity
Forest friendship and small disasters
Six funny illustrated forest stories about friendship, mistakes, fears, community and learning to live alongside others.
Rabbit and Bear works as one standalone friendship collection rather than a plot-heavy saga. Each book gives Rabbit, Bear and the forest community a new small crisis: bad habits, unwanted neighbours, food, night-time fear, unfair power and a fake lake. The books stay low sensitivity because the problems are comic and emotionally contained, but they are not empty. They repeatedly show children how pride, fear, impatience and selfishness can be repaired through kindness, honesty and perspective. The series is especially strong as a read-aloud bridge into longer books.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 5–8
- Read aloud · 5–8
- Independent · 6–8
Reluctant-reader friendliness
High
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Designed to
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
About the author