Mr. Rabbit at Home: A sequel to Little Mr. Thimblefinger and his Queer Country

In Short

This book is a collection of interconnected folktales and fantastic adventures centered on the curious escapades of two children, Buster John and Sweetest Susan. Guided by the enigmatic Little Mr. Thimblefinger and the loquacious Mr. Rabbit, the children traverse a "Queer Country" where they encounter giants, magical animals, and moral quandaries. Through a series of nested stories—tales within tales—the narrative explores the nature of greed, the power of kindness, and the strange, often contradictory ways of the world, maintaining a sense of wonder that has captivated generations of readers.

The Story

The narrative begins with Buster John and Sweetest Susan embarking on another excursion from their home into the magical realm inhabited by their small, elusive friend, Little Mr. Thimblefinger. Their journey is not a straightforward quest but a series of immersive stops, where the characters sit down to share stories that reflect, mirror, or satirize the real world.

Throughout the book, the children meet a variety of legendary figures and creatures, such as the Thunder, who lives in a house at the top of a mountain; a giant whose voice shakes the earth but who is surprisingly gentle; and various animals like the Blue Hen, Brother Lion, and the cunning Mr. Rabbit, who serves as a primary storyteller. These creatures recount their own histories, often focusing on the follies of greed and pride. One prominent story follows a girl named Eolen, who faces a cruel stepmother. Through the help of a mysterious stranger and a magical gold ring, Eolen gains the wisdom to reclaim her inheritance and eventually marry a prince.

Parallel to these folkloric episodes are domestic dramas involving animals that act as proxies for human behavior. In one such tale, Mrs. Puddle Duck’s jealousy leads her to sabotage the nest of a Blue Hen, a petty action that results in a cascade of social disorder. In another, a young man finds a literal mountain of gold, only to be consumed by the obsession of guarding it; he remains on his island, starving and isolated, until he effectively disappears.

The story arc is loosely held together by the children’s movement through these strange landscapes, from the "Jumping-Off Place" to the mysterious "King of the Clinkers" and the domain of the ominous "Woog," a creature who despises fairies because they bring joy to children. As the children listen, they are challenged to interpret these moralistic but often ambiguous fables. The adventures conclude when the children realize they must return home for dinner. Mr. Thimblefinger escorts them back through the spring, ensuring their safe transition from the world of imagination to their own. The ending is not a climactic battle or a grand resolution, but a quiet return to reality, leaving the children—and the reader—to contemplate the wisdom they have gathered from the "Queer Country."

How It Unfolds

The journey begins Buster John and Sweetest Susan leave their ordinary lives to rejoin Little Mr. Thimblefinger, who guides them into a subterranean landscape. They arrive in a place where the ordinary rules of nature are suspended, and the inhabitants are waiting to share their histories.

Encounters with the supernatural The children visit the home of the Thunder, a giant who is far less terrifying than his booming reputation suggests. They also learn of the "Jumping-Off Place," a liminal point where the world meets the impossible, setting the stage for more surreal tales.

Stories of greed and grace The narrative shifts to moral fables, such as the story of Eolen, who retrieves a stolen will, and the tragic tale of a man who dies while clutching his mountain of gold. These stories serve as cautionary warnings about the corrosive nature of material obsession.

The conflict with the Woog The characters discuss the "Woog," a malevolent force that seeks to destroy the beauty that fairies represent to children. This tension adds a layer of genuine peril to the otherwise playful tone of the stories.

The final return As the clock ticks toward lunchtime, the magical excursions come to a natural end. The children are guided back through the spring, successfully bridging the gap between their adventures and their home life, forever changed by their experience.

The People

Buster John and Sweetest Susan are the inquisitive, wide-eyed observers of the story. They provide the human anchor for the reader, asking the questions that reveal the internal logic of the Queer Country. Little Mr. Thimblefinger is the gentle, authoritative guide who facilitates the children’s movement between worlds, acting as both a protector and a gatekeeper.

Mr. Rabbit serves as the primary narrator and personality of the book. He is vain, occasionally lazy, and prone to grumbling, yet he possesses a sharp, cynical wisdom that cuts through sentimentality. He is often at odds with his own reputation, frequently deflecting criticism from other animals. Eolen is the quintessential protagonist of the fairy-tale sections; she is virtuous and modest, standing in stark contrast to her spoiled stepsister. She serves as the moral center of her own story, finding her fortune not through malice but through a quiet, steady adherence to truth. The King of the Clinkers and the various animals like Mrs. Puddle Duck provide a cast of complex, flawed characters whose interactions serve to illuminate the absurdities of social hierarchy and human behavior.

In Its Own Voice

"The knocker was so heavy that the little girl could hardly lift it, and when she let it fall against the panel, the noise it made jarred the building and sent a loud echo rolling and tumbling down the mountain."

This description captures the daunting, almost overwhelming scale of the giant Thunder’s home as the young girl arrives at his door.

"She had held it up toward the stranger, but instead of seeing him through the ring she seemed to be looking into a room in which some person was moving about."

Eolen discovers the magical properties of the gold ring, which allows her to witness past events and uncover the truth about her father’s will.

"If you let well enough alone, you are all right; but the minute you try to better it, everything goes wrong."

Mr. Rabbit summarizes the recurring theme of the book, reflecting on the foolishness of those who are never satisfied with their lot in life.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the book is an exploration of the tension between contentment and desire. Many of the stories focus on characters who possess enough but are driven by jealousy or greed to seek more, ultimately losing everything in the process. It presents a world where moral consequences are immediate and sometimes harsh, yet it avoids being didactic by framing these lessons within the unpredictable, logic-defying structure of folklore. It also explores the act of storytelling itself; by nesting tales within tales, the author suggests that wisdom is not something found in a single source, but is a collective, ever-changing inheritance that must be passed down from one generation to the next.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the surreal, dreamlike qualities of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland will find a similar, if more earthbound, charm here. The book is a fascinating artifact of its era, capturing a specific style of American storytelling that is deeply rooted in oral tradition. It feels like sitting on a porch listening to a master storyteller who wanders off-track and takes the long way around to reach a point.

However, a modern reader should be prepared for the specific challenges of the text. The dialogue is heavily laden with the dialect of the American South during the late 19th century, which can be difficult to parse and is reflective of period attitudes that have aged in complex ways. The prose is unhurried and sprawling; it does not move with the sharp, quick pace of contemporary children’s literature. There is a melancholy undercurrent to many of the tales—a sense that the world is a fragile place governed by forces, like "Uncle Rain" and "Brother Drouth," that are indifferent to human concerns. If you have patience for a slower, more deliberate, and often delightfully strange narrative, this book offers a window into a vanished landscape of the imagination that still holds the power to surprise.