Its recommended age range of 8 and up seems reasonable. There are some scary moments for young readers, but the story is mostly told from a young rabbit's point of view, so it should be appealing even to very young animals. There are also times when an older reader might find the story more meaningful. For example, one scene that often gives parents pause is when several of the main characters are captured by hunters and taken away in boats. The rabbits' friend Old Stoney goes with them, but he dies soon after they leave the forest. This is something only an old rabbit could do—give up hope like that—and because he was so close to being a hero, it makes his death even worse for everyone else. When you put all these things together, it's clear that Watership Down is intended for adults, but not necessarily old adults. Even though most of the characters are rabbits, they have different skills and abilities which make them interesting to read about regardless of their age. A younger reader will still enjoy learning new things about rabbits' lives from Watership Down while an older reader will appreciate seeing certain events from a fresh perspective.