I love to use this book with my kindergarten students because it tells them how scary it can be to try something new. The little polar bear can't learn how to swim right away, an experience they might already have had themselves. When he tries, and tries, and finally is swimming on his own - my audience cheers for him! They're all clapping by the end of the story!

The pictures are very engaging and warm. Lots of love and support is given by the mother polar bear as we see the little bear struggle with his insecurities.
The triumph at the end is well-written.

I use it as a take home book in a story bag with a stuffed polar bear, artist pad, and markers. The children share the story at home and then write their own story to share the next day at school. They illustrate the story and sign their name to their work. It's a great story extension.

I am a second grade teacher. This book doesn't stay on my classroom library shelf! The kids love it! I bought this book because the pictures were wonderful, but after reading it I also fell in love with the story. This is perfect for a read aloud, bedtime story and any other occasion! I can't recommend it enough!

I read this book to my 3 year old son as we are hoping that he will soon have a sibling!He now asks for it every night and is anticipating with excitement the thought of becoming a "big panda".The book is very easy for younger childern to understand and is beautifully accompanied by some sensitive illustrations.

The story is well written in simple sentences, which are descriptive and encourage the young reader to use their imagination. Many children who have moved house will be able to relate to how Tiger must feel. I read this to my class of 5/6 year olds and they thought it was wonderful and always ask for it to be read again. Scholastic have published a teaching pack to accompany this book which is well worth a look at.

This book is a classic meant to be read aloud. It's best when read to children as a bedtime story on a winter night. Try using different voices for the characters... children have a good time with this and so will you. And, usually, they will ask you to read the next story when you've finished. The next story, of course, is saved to be read tomorrow night.

I love this book, and loved it as a child, for the writing, the stories, and for the pictures which I could pore over again and again, looking for new details I missed previously. I have remembered and talked about many of the stories throughout my life, particularly The Cat Who Walks by Himself, and The Elephant's Child. I also like . . . oh, well, there are just too many to talk about. Read them for youself, and to your kids.

The stories are complex and mysterious and, though I can't say much for Kipling's politics, I find them delightful. I think most children will, too. As an adult, I couldn't get my mother to part with my childhood copy so I went out and bought one of my own.

A classic!

My grandmother bought this book for my three year old. We read the stories together at bedtime and enjoy them immensely. Rudyard Kipling wrote these stories for his young best beloved...don't wait to read them to yours!!!

A friend lent me this when we lost the older of our two kitties. The way Dennis Hamley tells the story of how the kitties get to know each other was exactly how our two kitties reacted to each other! He uses simple words and concepts to explain how a cat might be lonely when his cat-friend is gone. I loved the illustrations, too. This is a children's book, but very nice for anyone who has been through this type of experience. (Yeah, okay, I cried, I admit it.)

compassionate witches, good magic, and eco-themes cannot compensate for what another reviewer aptly describes as "pretentious, contrived conceit". Hare's Choice is not Chronicles of Narnia. While there may be value in having fifteen prepubescent authors accomplish what Hollywood filmwriters cannot, a readable script, the outer story of Hare becoming Queen of the Hares and joining such truly notables as Wilbur and Charlotte, Stuart Little, and Toad of Toad Hall, I was disgraced. By the end, I even began to have sympathy of the driver of the "Red Beast" who refused to spare the time to bury Hare after running it over. In the end, Hare's Choice was merely part of the roadkill of literature and should stay out of print to prevent others from wasting time that could better be spent reading Faulkner or Hemingway.

Please, someone reprint this book!My copy is constantly on loan to kids and adults. The story is uplifting, addresses death, mourning, and is extremely uplifting; which is so difficult to find in this age group. It is nice to see a teacher that responds with creativity and sensitivity for a change. Bravo! Please reprint.

Hare's choice needs to be in print again. It is a marvelous book about imagination, compassion, teamwork, and the power of the mind and children to create a figure in the imaginative world. However, the book seems to be a fantasy, it deals with death and mortality at a level with which all children and adults can understand and identify. The plot deals with time, space, and the creation of famous fictive characters. An intertwining of many abstractions and complexities which are valuable for growing minds. I teach a college-level course about children's literature, and this book is one of my highly recommended ones. Too bad it is can't be read anymore. The hare and I regret it very much.