A funny, quirky picture book based on a little-known historical event -- and an introduction to one of history's most notable figures, Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon Bonaparte's most crushing defeat is widely thought to have been at the Battle of Waterloo -- but have you heard about that time he was defeated by a horde of cute, fluffy bunnies? We call it Bunnyloo. It was the summer of 1807, after Napoleon and Tsar Alexander of Russia signed a treaty to end war between their two empires. Napoleon decided to celebrate with a rabbit hunt. His chief-of-staff, Louis-Alexandre, gathered as many rabbits as he could -- but got one crucial detail wrong. The rabbits he gathered were domesticated rabbits, so accustomed to human contact that they didn't scatter as expected -- they hopped towards Napoleon and his cohorts. The men shooed, swung and swatted, but it was no use. They were surrounded. When the rabbits started climbing up his legs and onto his hunting jacket, Napoleon became quite shaken, jumped back into his carriage and fled. Napoleon was a tough customer. He had ridden straight into cannon fire without a second thought. But everyone is scared of something -- even the bravest of the brave -- and it seems that for His Imperial and Royal Majesty, that "something" was the bunnies. The last page of the book will be a note with more information about Napoleon, and what we know about the ill-fated rabbit hunt. Research tells us that this event really did happen, and that Napoleon -- though amused at first -- really did abandon the hunt when he realized the rabbits were not going to retreat.-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.