66 pages • 2 hours read
Watership Down
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Overview
Published in 1972, Watership Down, by Richard Adams, is a fantasy-adventure novel for middle-grade readers and above that follows a group of rabbits as they search for a new home and defend it against enemies. Widely considered a children’s literature classic, the book is also beloved by adults for its engaging characters, action sequences, and lyrical descriptions of landscape. Its resemblance to great human sagas such as the Trojan War, the biblical Exodus, and the founding of Rome bring depth to its pages, as do the work’s allegories of freedom, courage, fairness, and respect for others.
Watership Down won the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Prize. The work has been adapted for film, television, stage, radio, and even a computer game. Adams wrote a sequel and several other bestselling novels, including The Plague Dogs and The Girl in a Swing.
The book’s Lexile ranking is 880L, accessible to fifth graders and above. The 2018 edition includes two introductory chapters and a glossary of rabbit words.
CONTENT WARNING: The story contains scenes of violence, including poisoning, gunshot wounds, and bloody combat between animals.
The ebook version of the 2018 edition forms the basis for this study guide.
Plot Summary
