The Beagle and the Hare

Striker the Beagle is a tough head and a killer with a very good fang, literally: his skull is much thicker than that of an average Beagle and he has sharpened his teeth with deer bones, as he grew up with the firm conviction that he was born to exterminate hares. With a foolproof patented stun-and-kill technique that renders the hares dead in no time, Striker makes his way headlong, proudly determined to keep the Hobbs Farm cornfields free of hares… until the local hare board, led by Barrister Homes, the Felmish Giant, decides to stop the massacre.

This short story, written in the form of a fable and with a musical narrative that could well be developed on the stage of a theater, teaches the value of listening, to put yourself in the other’s shoes before making judgments, to never put yourself above the others just because you own a title and to understand that we are all equal and that all of us have a history even though our name is not known beyond the limits of our home.

I think that this story, which in a first reading would seem to be directed exclusively at children, is an intelligent and positive critique to some of the errors that we adults insist on inheriting to the youngest, despite the fact that we know how much and how many lives they have damaged before. The themes of this story are very punctual timeless reminders and have great social value. Obviously, the problem here personified by farm animals (I don’t know why I can’t get this other author out of my head, but Or-well!), can be extrapolated to human events and translated to characters with thinner fur and greater legal responsibility. This book is decidedly didactic, but at the same time, an adventure that more than one will find pleasant to read.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I accepted this book to review. As a child, I LOVED The Fox and the Hound and this story brought back those loving vibes. I thought the friendship that formed between the Beagle and the Hare was one we could all learn something from. They learned to accept one another for their differences, rather than act on instinct to be a hunter and prey.
The writing and plot were both well planned and executed. I think this is a great story for all ages.

The Beagle and The Hare was so much more than I expected. From the beginning I was enraptured by the language used and the theme’s that came up throughout the book. The author makes many thought provoking statements and continues to surprise all the way through. A great message about life and culture but probably a little advanced for children like some reviews suggest. As an adult I really enjoyed the new prospective of an age old tale.

This is a really interesting book written in a rather unique style. It reminds me of Watership Down with the animal theme touching on mature subject matters. It’s a very philosophical book that will make you stop and reflect quite often. I loved a lot of the points made in the book and would recommend to anyone that enjoys narratives that can take them by surprise and it will certainly leave you in wonder and amusement.

Author/playwright/actor/filmmaker Kevin Moccia combines his various roles in writing this enormously entertaining and thoughtful fable. His ability to build scenes is indeed cinematic in nature, giving a true sense of credibility to his fantasy.

Kevin’s lyrical prose allows the music of his story to ring. An example – ‘The commonly spotted beagle loosened it taught cannon ball frame into the first awakening slivers of celestial warmth, beating Boris the farm rooster tot his throat’s perch on any typical morning by a handful of seconds, but today, Boris was late…Beyond the breath of the beagle’s olive colored snout daylight spilled through the field as if poured from a golden pail – squadrons of finches too, fluttered from the darkness, vaulting stalks of purple bearded corn in yellow feathered clouds, chirping in choir-like chatter. The beagle set its course to his command post, a sixteenth century red oak stump…’
Writing of this quality, accompanying a well-devised story, may be directed toward the young reader, but the book is so eloquently composed that the preferred manner in sharing this with young ones is having a theatrical adult read it aloud. It sings!

And the story – ‘Sullivan County has a beyond thriving rabbit population. The Hobbs family farm, White House purveyor since 1897, is patrolled by fifteen and seven eights inch beagle, the seventh generation of its line. The beagle, born with a cannon ball thick scull, and teeth he honed on deer bones, is a canine assassin, who makes friends with his sworn enemy, a Flemish hare, a scholarly rabbit, tailored by nature in the worse fitting fur imaginable.’

The Beagle and the Hare (pardon the pun!) is a story about animals – irresolute hunting and the consequences of same – but the fable/parable, while entertaining the reader, offers some fine thought provoking moments about contemporary society. This is a nuanced story that bears revisiting – for pleasure and for pensive moments. Highly recommended.