Longlisted for the UKLA 2018 Book Award | Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2017 - Best Story
'Stories aren’t all about fighting and revenge. You have to have a bit of character development. Some suspense, some atmosphere’. So says the bard telling the story of rabbit hero Podkin One-Ear, and his tale certainly has all those things. Podkin is son of the chieftain of the Munbury warren but forced to flee with his baby brother and capable big sister Paz when their home is invaded by the terrifiying Gorm, iron-clad monster rabbits turned evil by greed and enchantment. The story of how their little band grows to start the fight back against the Gorm is full of magic, narrow escapes and heroic deeds. Written in a very engaging style, regular breaks when the bard discusses the story with his audience both building and easing tension, this is a great bit of storytelling. Readers will hope for more adventures for Podkin and Paz.
For more stories of animals fighting evil see Brian Jacques’s Redwall series or Robin Jarvis’s equally thrilling Deptford Mice books.
A thick white blanket covers the wide slopes of the band of hills some call the Razorback Downs...Podkin One-Ear is a legend: a fearsome warrior rabbit whose reputation for cunning and triumph in battle has travelled the ages. But how did he become such a mighty fighter? The answer may surprise you...
When a travelling bard arrives at Thornwood Warren on Midwinter night, he is warmly welcomed. In return for food and lodging, he settles down to tell the tale of Podkin One-Ear - and soon the rabbits are enthralled to hear the story of how one lost little rabbit overcame the cruellest enemy imaginable, and became the greatest warrior their land has ever known.
Kieran Larwood was born in Kenya. He moved to the UK when he was 2 and lived in various places before settling on the Isle of Wight where he can still be found: exploring rockpools, climbing trees and writing - slowly disappearing behind a mountain of notebooks and empty coffee mugs. He taught Reception class in a primary school for fifteen years before becoming a full-time author.
Kieran’s books have won several awards, including the Blue Peter Best Story and the Prix Sorcières.
He is inspired by a life-long love of fantasy stories, which all began when – as a young boy – he picked up a copy of The Hobbit and saw the map inside. It just goes to show – you never know where opening a book will lead…
On his Blue Peter win, Kieran Larwood said: “I am hugely excited to have won the Blue Peter Book Award. It is such an honour, especially as I grew up watching Blue Peter, and the fact that it was voted for by children makes it all the more amazing.”
