Additional information
by Avril Rowlands (Author), Kay Widdowson (Illustrator)
One morning, Rabbit discovers a birthday parcel addressed to him. Inside is a Bible and on the flyleaf is written 'Read Me'. As he wonders at this odd present a brightly painted gypsy-style caravan hurtles down the road... and narrowly misses him. Rabbit picks up the book and joins the caravan travellers - Fred the horse, Caravan Bear and Whitby (female) the dog.
The Animal's Caravan, has echoes of children's classics such as Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland as Rabbit leaves his home to set out on an unexpected journey - a journey to find friendship and make sense of the world around him. He also finds himself on a journey of faith as he and his new friends wrestle with some of the often difficult concepts in the bible, thereby gaining fresh insights and understanding of God's loving involvement and care for the world.
The travelling life of the caravan and its occupants provide the opportunity for Rabbit to share these tales with other animals they meet and they join Caravan Bear, Whitby and Freddie in listening - and learning from - the stories. He is frequently interrupted by questions from his listeners, the kind of questions any child - or adult - might ask.
The real and often humorous events that happen to Rabbit and his friends are mirrored by the stories from the Bible enabling children to realise that the stories have relevance and meaning today.
Contents
1 A Cold Start 7
2 No Room at the Inn Luke 1-2 16
3 The Good Friend Luke 10 33
4 The Sheep Who Went Missing 46 Matthew 18; Luke 15
5 The Boastful Pharisee Luke 18 59
6 The Unmerciful Servant Matthew 18 68
7 The Poor Rich Man Luke 12 81
8 The Wise and Foolish Builders 97 Matthew 7, Luke 6
9 The Lost Son Luke 15 109
10 The Three Servants Matthew 25 125
Back Jacket
"It's so good to see you all," Christopher Rabbit said. "I'll just get my bag."
"And the Bible," Caravan Bear called after him...
"We want some more stories," called Whitby.
It's spring! Caravan Bear once again hitches up Hector the horse to the brightly painted gypsy-style caravan and, with Whitby the dog and Christopher Rabbit, set off in search of new adventures.
Enjoy Rabbit's storytelling along the way, interrupted with frequent questions from the travellers and other animals they meet. Why wasn't Jesus born in a special place, like a palace? If a shepherd already has a big flock, what does it matter if he loses one or two? Was it fair that the father gave a great feast for his younger son, who had spent all his money?
The Animals' Caravan has echoes of children's classics such as Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland, as the caravan travellers form a great friendship on their journey together.
Author Biography
Avril Rowlands (Author)
Avril Rowlands is a renowned children's author with over forty publishedbooks. She also writes for television and the theatre. Her three best-selling books for Lion Hudson, Tales from the Ark, More Tales from the Ark and Rainbow's End, have been republished in a bumper edition, All the Tales from the Ark. Avril has now turned theark stories into a musical. Her latest series for Lion, The Animals'Caravan: Adventures through the Bible with Caravan Bear and friendsare inspired by her own caravan trips.
Kay Widdowson studied at Chesterfield College of Art and Design and then went on to work as an animator in children's television for five years. She then became a freelance illustrator of children's books and still works in this field, as well as designing for greetings cards and gift wraps. Kay's style is bold and bursting with luscious colours and unexpected shapes which fit together into her playful animal compositions - full of movement and energy. Recently, Kay has been licensing her designs for cross stitch magazines, fashion, wallart and products. Her recent clients include Oxfam (calendar and diary 2021) and Museums and Galleries. Kay has always been supervised by a cat or two throughout the years - the latest is Blue (Beebee).
