Watership Down

The Graphic Novel

Illustrated by Joe Sutphin
Adapted by James Sturm
A beautiful and faithful graphic novel adaptation of Richard Adams’s beloved story of a group of rabbits on an epic journey in search of home.

“Every rabbit that stays behind is in great danger. We will welcome any rabbit who joins us.”

Watership Down is a classic tale of survival, hope, courage, and friendship that has delighted and inspired readers around the world for more than fifty years. Masterfully adapted by award-winning author James Sturm and gorgeously illustrated by bestselling artist Joe Sutphin, this spectacular graphic novel will delight old fans and inspire new ones, bringing the joy of Watership Down to a new generation of readers.

Richard Adams is the author of many bestselling novels, including Watership Down (1974), Shardik (1976), The Plague Dogs (1978), The Girl in a Swing (1980), Maia (1985), and Traveller (1988), as well as several works of nonfiction, including his autobiographical The Day Gone By (1991). The winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Award for Children’s Literature, he currently lives in Hampshire, England.

View titles by Richard Adams
© Gina Sutphin
Discussion Guide for Watership Down

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

“Wonderful for those seeking re-entry to the forests and meadows of Watership Down, this version is also ideal for those who have yet to step foot in them.”The Wall Street Journal

“This graphic novel version features outstanding art, with the rabbits drawn in such an appealing and distinctive way . . . a gripping page-turner of an adventure.”Boing Boing

“Whether you’re an old fan or a new one, this is the book to read.”—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal

“An immersive, breathtaking visual experience that carries readers through all the danger and beauty of this literary classic. Mark my words: this version of Watership Down will be just as influential as the original.”—Nate Powell, award-winning cartoonist of the March trilogy and Save It for Later

“An absolute masterpiece. Whether or not you’ve read the original, you will be pulled into this visually mind-blowing story that was created with so much care and heart. Graphic novel adaptations are notoriously difficult to do, but I will point to Watership Down as a beacon for how it should be done.”—Tillie Walden, creator of Clementine

“The artwork captures what the book is attempting: to give the reader the vertigo of seeing animals we are acculturated to view as harmless while at the same time seeing the tension, peril, and depravity that we pretend we don’t see in ourselves.”—Russell Moore, Christianity Today

“[This] faithful adaptation will delight fans of Richard Adams’s original book, but is also a great way to introduce younger audiences to the tale.”Geeks of Doom

“There are gorgeous panels here, full of light and delicacy, and two predominant tones—the green brightness of the world above, and the grey hues of an underworld that all rabbits call home. Sturm and Sutphin also manage the incredibly difficult task of bringing these personalities to life. . . . This is a worthy addition to the bookshelves of anyone who has loved Watership Down.”Broken Frontier

“James Sturm and Joe Sutphin have managed to draw out the heart of this classic, brilliantly adapting it into the graphic novel form. A wonderful way for new readers to discover the story and for hardened fans to reconnect with Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, and the gang.”—Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022–2024
 
Watership Down is my favorite book, and I consider it to be one of the very greatest books of all time.”—SF Said, author of Varjak Paw and Tyger

“Every page of this adaptation is a loving tribute to Richard Adams’s masterpiece. I’ve walked the real Watership Down and can honestly say that Joe Sutphin’s gorgeous illustrations are the next best thing to being there.”—Andrew Peterson, author of The Wingfeather Saga

“This action-packed graphic adaptation . . . of Adams’s epic novel maintains the existential gravitas of the original while artistically rendering its wild English countryside and memorable cohort of lean, scrappy rabbits . . . The art manages to be both melancholic and dynamic, just like the tone of Adams’s novel. Sturm and Sutphin effectively convey a world as fraught and complicated as the human realm, yet entirely its own.”Publishers Weekly
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About

A beautiful and faithful graphic novel adaptation of Richard Adams’s beloved story of a group of rabbits on an epic journey in search of home.

“Every rabbit that stays behind is in great danger. We will welcome any rabbit who joins us.”

Watership Down is a classic tale of survival, hope, courage, and friendship that has delighted and inspired readers around the world for more than fifty years. Masterfully adapted by award-winning author James Sturm and gorgeously illustrated by bestselling artist Joe Sutphin, this spectacular graphic novel will delight old fans and inspire new ones, bringing the joy of Watership Down to a new generation of readers.

Author

Richard Adams is the author of many bestselling novels, including Watership Down (1974), Shardik (1976), The Plague Dogs (1978), The Girl in a Swing (1980), Maia (1985), and Traveller (1988), as well as several works of nonfiction, including his autobiographical The Day Gone By (1991). The winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Award for Children’s Literature, he currently lives in Hampshire, England.

View titles by Richard Adams
© Gina Sutphin

Guides

Discussion Guide for Watership Down

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Praise

“Wonderful for those seeking re-entry to the forests and meadows of Watership Down, this version is also ideal for those who have yet to step foot in them.”The Wall Street Journal

“This graphic novel version features outstanding art, with the rabbits drawn in such an appealing and distinctive way . . . a gripping page-turner of an adventure.”Boing Boing

“Whether you’re an old fan or a new one, this is the book to read.”—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal

“An immersive, breathtaking visual experience that carries readers through all the danger and beauty of this literary classic. Mark my words: this version of Watership Down will be just as influential as the original.”—Nate Powell, award-winning cartoonist of the March trilogy and Save It for Later

“An absolute masterpiece. Whether or not you’ve read the original, you will be pulled into this visually mind-blowing story that was created with so much care and heart. Graphic novel adaptations are notoriously difficult to do, but I will point to Watership Down as a beacon for how it should be done.”—Tillie Walden, creator of Clementine

“The artwork captures what the book is attempting: to give the reader the vertigo of seeing animals we are acculturated to view as harmless while at the same time seeing the tension, peril, and depravity that we pretend we don’t see in ourselves.”—Russell Moore, Christianity Today

“[This] faithful adaptation will delight fans of Richard Adams’s original book, but is also a great way to introduce younger audiences to the tale.”Geeks of Doom

“There are gorgeous panels here, full of light and delicacy, and two predominant tones—the green brightness of the world above, and the grey hues of an underworld that all rabbits call home. Sturm and Sutphin also manage the incredibly difficult task of bringing these personalities to life. . . . This is a worthy addition to the bookshelves of anyone who has loved Watership Down.”Broken Frontier

“James Sturm and Joe Sutphin have managed to draw out the heart of this classic, brilliantly adapting it into the graphic novel form. A wonderful way for new readers to discover the story and for hardened fans to reconnect with Fiver, Hazel, Bigwig, and the gang.”—Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2022–2024
 
Watership Down is my favorite book, and I consider it to be one of the very greatest books of all time.”—SF Said, author of Varjak Paw and Tyger

“Every page of this adaptation is a loving tribute to Richard Adams’s masterpiece. I’ve walked the real Watership Down and can honestly say that Joe Sutphin’s gorgeous illustrations are the next best thing to being there.”—Andrew Peterson, author of The Wingfeather Saga

“This action-packed graphic adaptation . . . of Adams’s epic novel maintains the existential gravitas of the original while artistically rendering its wild English countryside and memorable cohort of lean, scrappy rabbits . . . The art manages to be both melancholic and dynamic, just like the tone of Adams’s novel. Sturm and Sutphin effectively convey a world as fraught and complicated as the human realm, yet entirely its own.”Publishers Weekly

Photos

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