Let’s Make Rabbits is a simple and charming
children’s
book with a delightful ending from Caldecott Award winning author,
Leo
Lionni. The story asks some interesting philosophical questions about
the nature of reality and what being alive means. These are topics
about which there has been a great deal of philosophical disagreement,
so they are sure to provoke intense discussion among young children.
The story raises questions about the nature of
reality. In the book there is a realistically drawn picture of a
carrot, but it is still only a picture - not a real carrot. What distinguishes
the illustration of the “real” carrot from an actual carrot?
More generally, what is it that makes something real?
In the book the pictured rabbits suddenly have shadows of their
own after eating the realistically drawn carrot. Does having
a shadow make
something real, as the rabbits suggest? Questions like these about
the nature of reality are designed to prompt children to engage
in inquisitive
conversations about what actually determines whether or not something
is real.
Finally, Let’s Make Rabbits raises the issue about
what is required for something to be alive. Does something have to
be able to
be able to talk, move, eat, and sleep to be alive? Do things have
to have minds to be alive? We know that plants and trees are alive,
but
they don’t move. Potatoes don’t seem to be alive, but
then they sprout! What properties must something have in order
to count as
being alive? These are questions that still cause genuine puzzlement. Let’s Make Rabbits is a great book for children of all ages
to enjoy, and opens up the opportunity for anyone to initiate and
engage
in philosophical discussions about some basic metaphysical questions.
Continue
to question set for this story
