Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

Raising Hare is a masterpiece of nature writing – a tender, wise, and gorgeously observed memoir that blends lyrical descriptions with fascinating facts about hares, born of the author’s experience rescuing and raising a leveret. The narrative hooks you in immediately as the author spins a story that is at once intimate and expansive. The tiniest details of life with a leveret are beautifully, almost poetically, captured, and these are complemented by the author’s extensive research about the species. As somebody who has always appreciated hares from afar, it was a genuine thrill to learn more about this fascinating and often misunderstood creature, through the rare gift of an author who observed them at the closest quarters.

What truly sets Raising Hare apart is the way fact and feeling are seamlessly interwoven, drawing you into a richly educational world of hare behaviour and history. Yet the science never overshadows the lyricism – instead it deepens the enchantment. I especially admired the way the author elevates the humble hare—still dismissed by many as a pest—placing it alongside the most iconic of species in the conservation story. She demonstrates that the hare, with its grace and mystery, deserves the same guardianship and wonder we reserve for the elephant’s majesty or the tiger’s roar. I hope this book plays a part in improving life for hares in the UK.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. It pulses with a tender awareness of freedom and fragility, reminding us how much it matters when nature chooses to reveal itself—on its own terms—and how, in taking time to honour the quiet dignity of the wild, we may also transform our own lives.

Raising Hare is available now in paperback from Teasel & Skylark – a book to savour and share.

Richard