One of the most magical books I’ve ever read.
Chloe Dalton is a writer, political advisor and foreign policy specialist based in London but when lockdown hit, she returned to the countryside of her childhood to be close to her family. Finding a baby hare (leveret) on a road near her home on her daily walk she felt compelled to give it a chance at survival.
The book chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for a leveret and preparing it to be able to survive in nature. The relationship that builds between Chloe and the leveret is magical; she never sees the leveret as a pet and doesn’t name her, as the intention is that she will one day return the leveret to the wild.
The improbable bond of trust that evolves serves to remind us that the most remarkable experiences, inspiring the most hope, often arise when we least expect them.
“Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine, that over two years later it still ran in from the fields when you called it and snoozed in your house for hours on end and gave birth to leverets in your study.”
This is a truly special book that will take you away from the noise of the world that surrounds us at the moment. Life can be simple and can be good.
If you want to see photos and clips of the leveret, take a look at chloedaltonuk on Instagram.
I can promise you will fall in love with the hare. I did.
Kerry
Buy a copy here: Raising Hare a book by Chloe Dalton.