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From The Author

Hi and thank you for your interest in my favourite two house rabbits, Perry and Pippin.

The story of how these two lovely now-not-so-little rabbits came to join our household is told in the first book of the series. As a child, I wasn’t allowed to have pets until my uncle (without permission from my parents- which I wouldn’t advise!) gave me a guinea-pig. We named him ‘Blackie’ due to his colour although for some strange reason, he had the nickname ‘Norman’.  I can’t really remember how long Blackie/Norman lived, but I do remember that he used to squeak really loud when he heard my dad coming down the path. This was because he knew that my dad would be fetching some grass/ wild treats on his way back from work. How Norman knew the exact time Dad arrived home is a mystery to this day!

My children had a similar upbringing in that I wouldn’t let them have a pet either. Not that I didn’t like pets, but I knew that I would be the one who would end up looking after them, cleaning them out, feeding them and so on. So, when Jessica asked for a rabbit for her 8th birthday, I knew what to do.

You keep your bedroom clean and tidy for three months, and I’ll let you have a rabbit. This will prove whether you can look after a pet or not.”

 Obviously, I knew this was an impossible task for an 8-year-old girl!

Unbelievably, and to the utter disbelief of both myself and Jessica’s dad, the impossible mission was accomplished!!

And so it began.

We bought two kittens- a sister and brother -from someone who lived locally, naming them Flopsy and Mopsy. You’re probably thinking baby cats but a baby rabbit is actually a kitten and not a bunny.

They were very cute- as most rabbits are. The reason we had two is that rabbits are very friendly animals and they like to have company. Flopsy and Mopsy lived outside in a three- storey cage. They had the run of the garden and loved eating anything within their grasp. A further two outdoor rabbits followed, Toffee and Snuffles. So, over a period of about 7 years, we were rabbit owners. We only ever had a maximum of two at any one time as when one reached the end of their life, we would buy another. Outdoor rabbits tend to live less long than their indoor friends.

Perry and Pippin are the first HOUSE rabbits we’ve had and they’re a source of constant amusement.

Hopefully, there will be more books to follow this first one. I have lots of ideas- after all- I’m writing about my two favourite friends. I question whether ‘The Adventures of perry and Pippin’ should really be a factual book rather than a work of fiction as it is a true story! Maybe there should be a whole new section at the library for ‘Non-fiction Books Written in a Fictional Style’.

Angela Duffy