Podkin One-Ear has a style and tone that immediately mark it out as a classic. You can always tell how greatly a kid is engrossed in a story from the amount of pleading for more pages when it’s time to stop, and there was plenty of pleading here. I read this book with my nine-year-old son as his bedtime story, and we both enjoyed it enormously. Initially, the bookending story of the bard seemed slightly unnecessary, but as the story progressed, it became obvious that there was more to that story too, and that it might become more important in future books. It’s a story of survival, the gathering of a small band, and the first strike back against the Gorm, and it’s also a story about growing up, as Podkin goes from being a spoilt, lazy son of a chief to a determined young rabbit. This first book in what appears to be at least a trilogy tells the story of Podkin as a young rabbit when the Gorm come to his home of Munberry Warren and Podkin, Paz, and their baby brother are forced to flee for their lives. One Midwinter, an old bard arrives at the Thornwood Warren and, in exchange for food and shelter, begins to tell the story of the great hero, Podkin One-Ear, who, along with his sister, Paz, and their companions, defeated the evil Gorm.

In that way, it follows a path long trodden by the likes of Redwall or The Wind in the Willows, although it has slightly more in the way of fantasy elements than either of those. The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood is a high fantasy featuring rabbits.

The legend of podkin