The Rabbits

Description

A partly allegorical fable about the colonisation of Australia. John Marsden cleverly uses the story of rabbits (considered a damaging pest in Australia) as a metaphor for European arrival to Australia. This makes it a simple story for younger children and older children can make comparisons with actual historic events. Highlights the  differences in language, culture, lifestyle and food of the Indigenous people and the new settlers.  Shows the clashes that arose as a result of differing values, respect and use of the land and the effects of such dramatic changes.