Timid Hare: The Little Captive

Wade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard, 1860-1936Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 73K words
Chapters: 8

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Timid Hare: The Little Captive by Mary Hazelton Blanchard WadeAuthor: Wade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard, 1860-1936,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jan 24, 2005

Editor's review

This work is a children's literature text by Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade, part of Project Gutenberg's free eBook collection. The story centers on the figure of the timid hare as a little captive, carrying themes of growth and courage common in early children's narratives. For Chinese readers, its main value lies in its short length and accessible English, making it suitable as introductory material for English reading practice, while also allowing readers to observe the narrative tone and character design of early twentieth-century children's stories. As a public-domain eBook, it is easy to access and suited to fragmented reading. Note, however, that the book involves a captivity framework reflecting narrative conventions of its era, which may feel unfamiliar to today's readers; it is best approached from the angles of literary history and language learning rather than for plot excitement alone.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate learners seeking light English originals for reading practice
Readers interested in early children's literature and public-domain eBooks
Teachers needing short English readings to supplement classroom work
Readers who enjoy brief narratives finishable in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Adult readers expecting complex plots and strong dramatic conflict
Beginner readers needing a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Readers impatient with the narrative style of early children's literature

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then read again marking new words and sentence patterns to build a personal vocabulary list.
Read chapter by chapter alongside audio narration or an online dictionary, limiting each session to one or two chapters.
After finishing, retell the main storyline in two or three sentences to check comprehension rather than memorizing details.
If used in class, have students discuss how courage and timidity are presented in the story.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What English level is this book suitable for?

As an early children's literature work, its sentences are generally short and its vocabulary fairly basic, suitable for readers with beginner to intermediate English reading ability. Those who can read simplified English readers should manage with a dictionary; complete beginners are advised to start with bilingual materials.

What should I note about the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain eBooks, mainly in the original English, with plain formatting and no accompanying introduction or exercises. Prepare your own dictionary tools before reading, and note that electronic versions may differ in format; choose the format that suits your device.

Is the story suitable to read directly to children?

The text is children's literature, but it involves a little captive setting with fairly direct situational descriptions typical of early narratives. If reading to young children, parents are advised to preview it and, if necessary, provide background explanation or read together to help children understand the story's historical context.

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About the author

Wade, Mary Hazelton Blanchard, 1860-1936 Author

Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade (1860–1936) was an American writer of children's literature. Public information about her life is limited, and she is known mainly for geographical and cultural books for young readers, such as the "Our Little Cousin" series. The library holds 21 of her works, including Our Little Eskimo Cousin, Our Little Japanese Cousin, Our Little German Cousin, Tessa, Our Little Italian Cousin and Our Little Irish Cousin. These books generally center on the lives of children in foreign or remote places and introduce local customs and ways of life to young readers through story-like narration. Her style is simple and friendly, combining readability with information. She also wrote stories such as Timid Hare: The Little Captive and Little Folks of North America, showing a varied approach to writing for children.