Flop Ear, the Funny Rabbit: His Many Adventures

In Short

This gentle animal adventure follows Flop Ear, a young wild rabbit distinguished by one upright ear and one flopped ear, after he becomes lost in the woods while fleeing a hunter. Over the course of his journey, he is captured by a farm boy, trained to perform trick acts, escapes into the wild, and meets a succession of helpful animals before discovering his family’s new burrow. Written as a bedside story for young readers, the book endures through its reassuring tone, plain setup, and innocent view of the natural and human worlds.

The Story

Flop Ear lives in a mountain wood burrow with his parents, his grandmother Lady Munch, and his siblings Pink Nose and Snuggle. His days are spent eating bark, playing hide-and-seek, and learning from his elders how to sense danger and keep his fur clean. One afternoon, the loud report of a hunter’s gun scatters the family in all directions. Flop Ear runs blindly into unfamiliar parts of the forest and quickly realizes he cannot find the entrance to his family's underground home.

Hungry and isolated, the young rabbit wanders through meadows and seeks shelter in a haystack. Seeking food near a farmhouse, he slips into a woodshed where a young boy named Jimmie finds him inside a wood basket. Rather than harming him, Jimmie names him Flop Ear and decides to keep him as a pet. Jimmie treats him gently, feeding him carrots and coaxing him to perform tricks. Over time, Flop Ear learns to leap through a barrel hoop, hold a piece of carrot on his nose until a signal is given, and pull a tiny toy wagon across the yard while attached to a collar.

Though his captor is kind, Flop Ear misses his woodland home and dislikes performing. When Jimmie leaves his box unlatched, the rabbit slips beneath the yard fence and escapes back into the woods. On his return journey, Flop Ear encounters a wide network of talking animals. He meets Slicko the jumping squirrel in the treetops, receives warnings about Jimmie’s pursuit from Cheer-Up the bird, and listens to the low rumblings of circus transport wagons along a country road at night. When he strays too close to the heavy wheels, Tum Tum the elephant uses his trunk to lift Flop Ear out of harm's way, while Dido the dancing bear offers friendly conversation.

Continuing his travels, Flop Ear happens upon a box-trap in a field where a mother mouse and her five young children are trapped. Using his strong, sharp teeth—honed by years of gnawing tree bark—he chews through the wooden side of the trap and sets the mouse family free. Grateful for his help, the mice share their sweet clover and roots with him. Later, Flop Ear meets Mappo, a merry escaped monkey. The two build a shelter together out of evergreen branches and a dug-out cellar. Mappo agrees to accompany Flop Ear on his search, and together they wander back to the familiar mountain wood. There, Flop Ear discovers his family safely reunited at a newly dug burrow. After introducing Mappo to his parents, grandmother, and siblings, Flop Ear settles back into his home, content to leave big adventures behind.

How It Unfolds

Scattered by the gun When a hunter fires into the woods, the bunny family disperses under bushes for safety. Flop Ear runs so far into unknown territory that he loses his way completely.

Life in the woodshed Searching for food near a farm, Flop Ear climbs into a wood basket inside a shed. He is discovered by a boy named Jimmie, who takes him in as a domestic pet.

Learning the tricks Jimmie feeds the rabbit carrots to win his trust and teaches him to jump through hoops. Flop Ear also learns to balance food on his nose and drag a little wagon across the lawn.

Flight to the woods Unwilling to live as a performing animal, Flop Ear slips out of his cage when Jimmie's back is turned. Guided by a bird's warning, he crawls under the fence to freedom.

Meetings on the road Wandering near a highway at night, Flop Ear encounters a circus train. Tum Tum the elephant saves the rabbit from being crushed under a heavy wagon wheel by snatching him up in his trunk.

Rescue of the mice Flop Ear hears squeaking from a wooden box-trap in a field and finds a family of field mice trapped inside. He uses his sharp front teeth to gnaw a hole in the wood, allowing them to escape.

Building a shelter Flop Ear meets Mappo the monkey, and the pair decide to collaborate on a temporary home. Flop Ear bites off evergreen boughs while Mappo weaves them into a tent with a cellar beneath.

The return home Mappo travels alongside Flop Ear until they reach the rabbit's original woods. Flop Ear locates his family's new burrow and reunites with his parents, grandmother, and siblings.

The People

• Flop Ear: The young rabbit protagonist who wants to return to his family burrow. Obstacles include a hunter's gun, physical loss of direction, domestic captivity, and heavy circus wagons. He ends up more experienced in the wider world, having learned tricks and saved other creatures.
• Jimmie: A farm boy who wants a comical pet to train for an animal show. His main obstacle is the rabbit's natural urge to live free. He ends up losing his pet when Flop Ear slips away through the yard fence.
• Tum Tum: A large, friendly circus elephant who wants to clear the road for incoming transport wagons. Struck by the tiny rabbit standing in the pathway, he lifts Flop Ear to safety and sends him along his way.
• Mrs. Mouse: A field mouse mother who wants to free her five children from a wooden box-trap. She is stopped by the hard wood of the box, which her teeth cannot cut, until Flop Ear gnaws an escape hole for her family.
• Mappo: A merry monkey who wants companionship and a dry place to stay. He helps Flop Ear build a branch shelter, joins his search, and leaves for his own home after seeing the rabbit safely reunited with his family.
• Lady Munch: The rabbit grandmother who wants to protect her family from hunters. She instructs the young rabbits on hiding and staying underground until nightfall, welcoming Flop Ear back at the story's end.

In Its Own Voice

“Why, you look so funny,” the old lady rabbit would answer. “I always want to laugh when I see you.”

Lady Munch explains to her grandson why his dropped ear gives him his unusual name.

“Hold it in front of him, and every time he jumps to get it, move it ahead a little. That will keep him moving, and he’ll pull the wagon.”

Jimmie instructs his friend Sam on how to coax Flop Ear into pulling a toy cart using a carrot.

“I’m not going to tell you where Flop Ear is, for he wants to get away, and find his own home.”

Cheer-Up the bird silently refuses to help Jimmie track down the escaping rabbit.

What It's Really About

The story centers on the tension between domestic security and wild freedom. Although Jimmie provides regular carrots, soft shelter, and gentle touch, Flop Ear finds the loss of independence and the demand to perform unnatural tricks to be an unacceptable trade. The book contrasts human ownership with animal solidarity, showing how wild creatures of entirely different species—rabbits, birds, elephants, mice, and monkeys—offer one another aid without imposing control. It also explores childhood independence: Flop Ear must rely on his own wits and physical skills, such as gnawing and swimming, to navigate real-world dangers after being separated from the protective circle of his parents and grandmother.

Why Read It Today

This story appeals to young listeners who enjoy classic animal fables and readers interested in early twentieth-century children's series literature. Reading it feels like listening to an unhurried bedtime story, characterized by gentle repetitive phrasing, simple dialogue, and clear moral framing. It maintains a light, reassuring atmosphere even when its protagonist faces genuine peril from dogs, guns, and traps.

Modern readers should be prepared for the plain, episodic structure typical of period series fiction, as well as frequent references to companion books in the publisher's catalogue. The language is straightforward and intentionally simple, avoiding complex dialect or difficult vocabulary. What remains with the reader is the book's quiet empathy for animals, its emphasis on mutual aid among strangers, and its satisfying resolution back in the safety of home.