Beautifully illustrated GN will open this classic up to many new readers and reignite the love of many re-readers.

arc provided

This is a perfectly solid rendition of an odd, but beautiful book. The artwork is clear and beautiful, while helping to clearly and wonderfully tell the story. The storyline stays engaging and smooth without the clunk that some graphic re-tellings ultimately have. I think this is a exceptionally accessible way to get through this book.

Continuing to work through some classics, we come to “Watership Down: The Graphic Novel”, original novel by Richard Adams, adapted by James Sturm and illustrated by Joe Sutphin. Having not read the original novel (yet), I cannot comment on how true to the book this graphic adaptation is, but it is still a wonderfully illustrated story about rabbits, friendship, and a search for a home.

When Fiver, a rabbit with some psychic abilities, foretells the destruction of their warren due to the encroachment of man, a group of rabbits go off and try to find a new place to call home. Bigwig, Hazel, and others have a wide-ranging variety of adventures, from finding a warren of rather too-tame rabbits, to encounters with birds and mice, to farmyard dogs and cats, and finally a militant warren run through terror. The rabbits finally group together and decide that this is where they make their stand, this is where they defend all that they have built.

The illustrations are wonderful, the ability to differentiate each rabbit through their look was nothing short of amazing. I don’t think one is supposed to read into this for some deeper meaning, or philosophy, or a parable to apply to today’s world. It is just a good story about rabbits, about how they see the world, and how they deal with issues that arise and hope for the future. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this is an enjoyable story. I must now go and read the original book!

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, Ten Speed Graphic via NetGalley. Thank you!

I haven't read the original book so please take my review with that context in mind. I have of course heard of Watership Down and it's one of those books on my someday TBR list so I jumped at the chance to read the graphic novel to get a taste of the story. In the afterword, the author who did the adaptation did a good job of explaining how and why they've cut things from the original story to make it fit into a graphic novel and it all sounded very reasonable to me.

The design of this book was lovely. It really created a very powerful and effective sense of place. The illustrator did a good job of differentiating the rabbits. I didn't always know for sure but I think someone familiar with the story would have kept up better and it was certainly a tricky task.

The story itself is intriguing and a little bit weird and - while the author has maintained it's not allegory - these anthropomorphized rabbits certainly offer an interesting reflection of humanity. The story was quiet at times with interesting little lessons. And toward the end the action really picked up and I didn't want to put it down.

Reading this version of the book has certainly kept me intrigued about the original book, which will move up a little higher on my someday TBR.

I've never read the prose version of Watership Down. The graphic format really helped to gain am understanding of the story and the language the rabbits use. While some of the graphics do portray violence, the authors did a remarkable job of bringing the story to life. Overall, I think this graphic novel is a great way to introduce the prose format.

A timeless story of courage borne of hardships, deep camaraderie, epic adventure and enduring hope. Watership Down invites us to join Hazel, Fiver, a bigwig & a large cast of rabbits as they escape danger after danger, searching for a warden of their own.

Through many times of tribulations, the rabbits learn to lean hard on one another, and even make a few unlikely friends along the way. When they make a daring plan to rescue other rabbits from a tyrant, they risk everything they have fought for.

Because I haven’t read the original book, my review is based solely on this graphic novel adaptation. I enjoyed the story, which I drew strong parallels with Sam Smith’s Green Ember Series. The lessons of endurance & perseverance, along with heartwarming friendships amid times of extreme risk, were enough to keep my attention focused on this little band of brave rabbits.

The illustrations were well done, but occasionally violent & somewhat graphic, making this a book for much less timid or more mature readers. There are some pulse pounding moments, along with the more scenic pastoral scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. Thank you to Ten Speed Graphic for sending me this ARC. All reviews are honest reflections of my own opinions, always.

This is a classic that most people have either read or at least heard about. But this graphic novel form is stunning. The story remains as this group of rabbits has to leave their down in search of a new and safe place to live due to the influx of man into their space. It becomes a vehicle for many current social themes but is enhanced by the graphic art on display within these pages. If you love this novel or have ever been interested in seeing what it is all about, this is the time to give it a go. The digital version of this is good but I would guess that the print version might be even better.
Highly recommend.
#WatershipDown #NetGalley #ClarksonPotter/TenSpeedPress

Watership Down is such a wonderful classic I’m glad it’s getting adapted into a graphic novel. The artwork is in a more classical style. The text is also significantly simplified (of course) so it could be adapted to a range of classrooms.

Thank you for this ARC.
First of all is the drawing. Amazing, life-like, true connection. Wow I didn't want to let go of any page.
The story is a long one and yet it is perfectly crafted in this graphic novel. I turned each page slowly admiring the words with the scene drawn for you to experience. This graphic novel can truly be read and shared with many ages and not have a lick of the original novel.
This is close to a perfect adaption as ever created.
I just reviewed Watership Down by Richard Adams. #WatershipDown #NetGalley

It’s been a long time since I read Watership Down as a middle-schooler, but this gorgeous graphic adaptation was a welcome visit to the warren. Much simplified from the source, this graphic version still captured the spirit and mood of the original. I loved it!

I have been intimidated by the heft of the original classic Watership Down, and was thrilled to see it adapted as a graphic novel. The graphic novel adaptation works so well with the animal voices as main characters, and lets the action unfold visually. This will allow the book to attract a whole new generation of readers. I highly recommend this for all readers, middle grades and up. There are visual depictions of animal-to-animal cruelty or animal deaths which may be difficult for some readers, so sensitive readers should be advised to skip past these parts. Otherwise the story is a terrific epic adventure.

So (embarrassingly admitting) I am one of those folks who haven't read Watership Down, the novel. There is something about how people talk about it reflecting on the painful emotions from the book, that has made me shy away from putting myself in the situation to feel that also....that being said, when I saw a graphic novel version I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to learn the story...but maybe not feel it as deeply as others have. I enjoyed the pictures and story, and am interested in talking with a friend of mine who has read the book and is planning on reading the graphic novel to hear their opinion :)

The graphic novel experience of Watership Down was very entertaining. It lent character and realism to the rabbits and they became personified. I enjoyed learning rabbit speak, and their interesting mannerisms when facing the man-made world and the everyday threats that rabbits face. It was filled with danger and the images captured what the rabbits were experiencing as they searched for a new warren. I thought the illustrations were expressive in a raw and natural way. I found this book hard to put down and enjoyed it thoroughly. I definitely recommend it.

I read the original story many years ago in elementary school and remember loving Watership Down so it was interesting to visit the story again in its graphic novel format. A must read for fans of the original novel!

3+ Skippidy hoppity stars

“Perhaps you would care to hear a story, and to tell one yourself, if you like. And if I can tell a story as good as yours...”

I read the original Watership Down book decades ago. Once again, this book got me caring about ‘dumb rabbits.’ I love how this graphic novel version made them distinguishable (until I took too long a break in my reading.) I’d suggest reading it in a contained frame of time. After a week’s break I had a hard time remembering what was happening and recognizing the rabbits. The graphic novel has many moments of beauty and some moments of horror. At the end this graphic novel got a bit too graphic for me. I don’t mind reading about fights/ war /yucky stuff in the context of a well-told story but seeing creatures hurting one another and ‘blood’ all over was bit much for me.

While this was a fun way to reread this classic tale, I personally remember liking the original book a tad better. I like how the well-done graphic novel will reach out to new audiences.

I wish I had known there was a rabbit dictionary at the end. It was noted in a small line on the chapter listing. I guessed most of the rabbit vocab, but it would have been helpful if I had known a 2-page vocab worksheet was close at hand.

Make sure to read about the author/ illustrator ‘Adapting Rabbits’ at the end. It was enlightening to learn their process. I would have preferred this at the beginning to set context, instead of abruptly jumping into such an unusual book. My last suggestion is to take your time looking at the pictures and absorbing the tale. (except for the scratching biting, bloody illustrations.) Rabbit time is different than human time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing ’the magic’, an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is very difficult to take a classic story and adapt it into a new medium and keep the magic of the original alive. It is even more difficult to adapt into a new medium and manage to make something that outshines the original, but I do believe that this graphic adaptation of Watership Down achieves this rare feat.

The original story of the a rabbit warren's formation due to the impending doom of man was wonderful, and uses long florid descriptions to describe the meadows and hills of England that the book takes place over. But seeing these beautiful vistas and burrows while better representing the heroic actions of Hazel and Bigwig through beautiful panels of bunny carnage takes this epic story to new heights. It's a story of superheroes, staged over a few hundred acres of British countryside.

I really enjoyed this! I first read Watership Down in the 10th grade. It was a little confused on all the characters and events happening. It made it a confusing read for sure. I like the pacing of the Graphic novel a lot! The art and illustrations were very beautiful to look at but also gruesome at times which is true to the story. I think I would recommend this to anyone interested in the story!

This is one of my favorite stories and if, like me, you are a fan of the original animated film, there is a lot to like in this graphic novel interpretation. The art is beautiful and sometimes disturbing; probably not very child friendly, but it makes an already compelling story moreso. The character designs are very similar to the original film which is a nice visual touch to help keep track of the characters. I can't wait to see this in hardcopy.

It's been a while since I've read the original, but as a rabbit-lover I really enjoyed this. The art is lovely and each rabbit has distinctive features. I doubt my students would pick up the original, but an animal lover who is unafraid of violence and in search of adventure would certainly pick this adaptation up.

I haven’t read the original novel, ‘Watership Down’ but when I saw this graphic novel available on NetGalley I REALLY wanted to read it. So THANK YOU NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc by James Sturm + Joe Sutphin. The illustrations are stunning and this has definitely inspired me to pick up the full length novel.

The story is riveting. There is the very practice and tactile story of these rabbits fleeing a dangerous home and seeking a new place to exist, all the trials they face from men, dogs and cats, and even other rabbits. It has a lot to say about the exploitation of nature by man and the ways nature is misunderstood through that lens. It’s also full of warm moments that remind us to help one another, across differences, through the other animals the rabbits come into contact with. There is also a mythology to the story, their own hiding figures and origin stories. I thought it was beautiful. Parts of this are extremely action-packed as well. A bit of a military style pursuit and one on one combat.

I knew I’d love this because I love animals, but it was so much deeper than I anticipated— what a wonderful story. Can’t wait to revisit in in the novel. I’d highly recommend.