It's very cold in Antarctica, and the Terra Nova is crowded with both men and animals. Tom the sailor is looking for a quiet and cozy place for his pet rabbit to have her babies. From high in the rigging to down in the hold, the crewman takes readers all through the ship while he searches for a spot where his rabbit can make her nest. Based on the diaries of men who sailed to the South Pole on board the Terra Nova in 1910 with Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Tom Crean's Rabbit introduces the historic voyage to young readers. Kitchen's stunning illustrations capture the magnificence of the Antarctic landscape and notes in the back of the book provide more information about the expedition and detail the adventures of the book's hero.
Bert Kitchen’s illustrations capture the wild uncompromising drama of Antarctica and contrast it with the snug , warm and friendly portrayal of life on ship, where brave men are trying to hang onto a civilised kind of domesticity. The humour is ironic given the savagery of what lies ahead in Scott’s voyage but that is for the young reader to find out. A little black cat is drawn swinging drowsily in his own little hammock, one half-open eye on the reader. Maybe he knows. - www.writeaway.org.uk
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