H
AR
DA
RIC
MS
OR
AB
O
THE AUT
T
H
U
A
D G
EORGE
1920 Born 9 May in Newbury, Berkshire
1926 Attends Horris Hill Preparatory School
1933 Attends Bradfield College boarding school
1938 Enrols at Worcester College, Oxford, to study Modern History
1940 Called up to join the British Army in World War Two
1946 After the war he returns to Worcester College to
finish his studies
1948 Joins the Civil Service
1972 Watership Down is published; in the same year it wins the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children’s Fiction prize
1974 Shardik, his second novel is published, and he becomes a full-time writer
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 2
20/05/2014 13:20
1982 Serves one year as President of the RSPCA
1996 The Tales of Watership Down is published, a sequel to his most famous novel
2014 Lives with his wife in Hampshire, not far from
where he was born
Interesting Facts
n he identifies
rabbit from Watership Dow
Richard Adams claims the
Dandelion.
he has a high opinion of
with most is Hazel, but
or anything,
re highly than anybody
He values Shakespeare mo
y!
err
of ice cream is strawb
and his favourite flavour
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 3
ILLUS
T
THE
TOR
RA
ABO U
T
David Parkins is a British
cartoonist and illustrator.
He didn’t take up art
until he was in the
sixth form at school,
when he began
drawing caricatures
of his teachers. At
Lincoln College of
Art he specialized
DA
in illustration. Since
VID
graduating in 1979 he has
worked for The Beano and
The Dandy but now illustrates
children’s books, including the works
of Dick King-Smith.
N
PA R K I
S
20/05/2014 13:20
WHERE DID THE
STORY COME FROM?
Richard Adams says that his inspiration for Watership
Down came from his love of nature, and from the
experiences he had during the war. He made up the
story for his two little girls – initially to pass the time
on a long car journey – and gradually expanded it until
his daughter Juliet told him it was too good to waste
and that he should write it down!
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 4
20/05/2014 13:20
G
b
C
?
A
SS WHO
E
U
Although he was a yearling and
still below full weight, he had not the
harassed look of most ‘outskirters’.
the
y growth of fur on
av
he
,
us
rio
cu
a
d
He ha
odd
which gave him an
,
d
ea
h
is
h
f
o
crown
of cap.
ere wearing a kind
w
he
gh
ou
th
as
,
appearance
‘He’s almost as big as a hare and there’s
something about his mere presence that frightens
you, as if blood and fighting and killing were all
just part of the day’s work to him.’
ANSWERS: A) Hazel B) Bigwig C) General Woundwort
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 5
20/05/2014 13:20
WORDS
GLORIOUS
WORDS!
odyssey
Lots of words
have several different
meanings – here are a
few you’ll find in this
Puffin book. Use a
dictionary or look them
up online to find
other definitions.
rous journey
a long, adventu
prophesying
to foretell or pred
ict
maverick
an independent individual
docile
easily handled
desolate without comfort
or hope
scut
ubiquitous
being present
everywhere at
the same time
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 6
the short tail of
a hare or rabbit
20/05/2014 13:20
DID
YOU
KNOW?
shire and
is set in the Berk
n
w
o
D
ip
sh
er
at
W
iles away from
untryside, eleven m
co
e
ir
sh
p
m
a
H
still lives today.
ms
where Richard Ada
Watership Down was rejected by
several
agents and publishers – some of them
thought
it was ‘too grown-up for chi
ldr
en’.
If he could write it again, Richard Adams said he would
give more attention to Woundwort’s character,
making him a more heroic anti-hero.
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 7
20/05/2014 13:20
QUIZ
Thinking
caps on –
let’s see how much you
can remember! Answers
are at the bottom of
the opposite page.
(No peeking!)
1
In the beginning which rabbit predicts that something
terrible will happen to the warren?
a) Bigwig
b) Hazel
c) Fiver
d) Holly
2
H olly
S AY S :
‘Men will n
ever rest
till they’ve
spoiled the
earth and
destroyed
the animals
.’
What was the name
of the warren they left?
a) Cowslip’s warren
b) Watership Down
c) Sandleford warren
d) Efrafra
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 8
20/05/2014 13:20
3
Who is the leader of the Efrafan warren?
a) Campion
strawberry
S AY S :
b) Blackthorn
c) Hyzenthlay
d) Woundwort
4
‘Animals do
n’t behave
like
men . . .
They have
dignity an
d animality
.’
What is Bigwig saying when he tells
Woundwort to ‘Silflay hraka’?
a) Get out of here
b) Eat rabbit droppings outside
c) Fight a dog
d) Go away before something bad happens to you
5
Who has the first kittens at the new warren?
a) Hyzenthlay
b) Haystack
c) Clover
d) Laurel
ANSWERS: 1) c 2) c 3) d 4) b 5) c
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 9
20/05/2014 13:20
RABBIT-Y
FACTS
Rabbits have excellent
senses of smell,
hearing and vision.
They can even see
everything behind them
nd
and only have a small bli
ses.
spot in front of their no
Rabbits have extremely strong hin
d legs, which
allow them to leap great distances.
They can jump up
to one metre high and three
metres long.
called a ‘binky’. They
A rabbit’s expression of joy is
r body and flick their feet.
will run, jump into the air, twist thei
Rabbits stand upright on their
hind legs to give themselves
a better chance of seeing potentia
l predators.
from them in a
a predator, they flee
by
ed
ott
sp
are
s
bit
rab
If
to 18mph!
ey can reach speeds of up
Th
.
rn
tte
pa
ag
gz
zi
Rabbits’ ears can grow
up to 10cm in leng
th.
They use their ears to de
tect predators in their ha
bitat.
Rabbits are popular in mythology and culture. Many
people believe carrying a rabbit’s foot will bring good luck.
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 10
20/05/2014 13:20
PUFFIN
WRITING
TIP
Change
your scenery
and see something
you’ve never seen
before.
B IG W IG
S AY S :
‘Who know
s why men
do anythin
g?’
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 11
20/05/2014 13:20
MAKE
AND
DO
How to
draw a
rabbit
YOU WILL NEED:
lain paper
 a sheet of p
 a pencil
 an eraser
or felt-tip pens
ls
ci
en
p
g
n
ri
u
lo
 co
1
Draw three circles as shown – they
don’t have to be perfect.
2
Join up the circles with
2 lines as shown and
add some ears.
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 12
20/05/2014 13:20
3
Pencil in some twinkly
eyes and a fluffy tail.
4
A little V will make
a twitchy nose.
5
Draw on the front and
back legs – don’t forget
the front paws!
6
Finally draw around
the shapes with a darker
pencil – make the line
quite raggedy so your
rabbit looks furry.
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 13
20/05/2014 13:20
IN
THIS YEAR
1972
Fact Pack
What else was
happening in the
world when this Puffin
book was published?
l watches
The first digita
are introduced.
The Eurovision Song C
ontest
was held in Edinburgh an
d the winner
was Luxembourg.
Edward Heath was
.
prime minister of the UK
Leeds United won the FA Cup for the first time.
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 14
20/05/2014 13:20
FROM
THE
ARCHIVE
9780141354965_WatershipDown_ENDS_.indd 15
Here is a
sonnet written
many years ago
by Richard
Adams.
20/05/2014 13:20