Rabbit Hill is set in rural Connecticut.

The inhabitants of the animal community anxiously await the arrival of the "new folks" to the house on Rabbit Hill.

They are fearful because there has been a series of "bad folks" living in the house, who brought traps and poisons to terrorize the animals. But for the moment the signs are good. The gardener, Tim McGrath, has been surveying the lawn and garden and the carpenter, Bill Hickey, has been looking to repair the tool shed. The animals associate these activities with the prospect of a healthy lawn and generous garden, which would benefit everyone. Mother Rabbit, however, has lost several of her grandchildren to human s and remains pessimistic that the "new folks" will only bring more pain and danger. This early tension between positive prospects and potential disaster continues through most of the story.

The effective merging of...