A review of Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family – and a Whole Town – About Hope and Happy Endings by Janet Elder.
Tag Archives: animals
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The Show Must Go On
Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen (Algonquin; $14.95; 448 pages)
Following a tragic accident, where Jacob Jankowski finds that not only has he lost both of his parents, but everything he owns, he is forced to immediately recreate his life. Jacob walks out of his Ivy League veterinary medical exams and while wandering aimlessly decides to hop a train, a decision that alters his future. The train, it turns out, belongs to the Benzini Brothers, a second-rate traveling circus act. At the ripe young age of twenty-one, Jacob becomes the circus vet, an undesirable position working for a relentless boss.
To make matters worse, Jacob falls in love with Marlena, a star performer and the wife of an abusive paranoid schizophrenic, who is in charge of training the animals that Jacob cares for.
Told from the perspective of a ninety-something Jacob, now living in a nursing home, Gruen spares no details as she depicts the story of life with the circus. Through descriptions of the grimy, disgusting living conditions, the filthy abused animals that eat unspeakable food, and the corrupt coworkers, we wait with bated breath to read what dangerous, life-threatening situation Jacob will be privy to next.
Sara Gruen has done her research and truly brings each circus act alive as you, the audience, watch Jacob’s life in the circus unfold. The ending is surreal but quite lovely. I look forward to seeing the film, which will be released this month.
Highly recommended.
Kelly Monson
This book was purchased by the reviewer.
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At the Zoo
Did Not Survive: A Zoo Mystery by Ann Littlewood (Poisoned Pen Press; $14.95; 250 pages)
This second novel from former zookeeper Ann Littlewood, pits human nature against the honesty of zoo animals for a compelling read. A fictitious zoo in the Pacific Northwest provides the location for a unique spin on an age-old tale of a heroine in peril. The main character is Iris Oakley who is not only a recently widowed zoo employee, but also pregnant with her deceased husband’s baby.
In this story there are actually two heroines in peril, Iris Oakley and an aged elephant named Damrey. Damrey has been a favorite of local families who visit her at the zoo. Author Littlewood makes a case for the depth of knowledge required of zoo personnel. It’s not just sweeping up after the animals and making sure they have their favorite foods. Behavior, instincts and training are well documented for a wide range of the zoo’s inhabitants. There are births and deaths that tear at the hearts of the staff.
Littlewood opens the mystery with the death of the zoo superintendent, a fellow who was good at his job but not well liked. He’s discovered in Damrey’s enclosure being menaced by the very agitated elephant. Iris is the first on the scene and it falls to her to assist in determining who is responsible for the super’s death.
Along the way we get to know the elephants. They have not been part of her job until the discovery of the body in their enclosure. Her regular charges are the big cats; however, pregnant women must not empty cat pans, big or small. Iris is a remarkable character who captured this reviewer’s sympathies.
Well recommended. Let’s hope Ms. Littlewood keeps writing about what she knows so well as she provides entertainment bundled with fascinating learning.
This review was written by Ruta Arellano. A review copy was provided by the publisher.
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As Cute as a Kitten
Kitten’s Autumn by Eugenie Fernandes (Kids Can Press; 22 pages; $14.95)
Leaves tumble, Kitten mews. Porcupine snacks, Chipmunk chews. Hummingbird sips, Caterpillar munches. Rabbit nibbles, Squirrel crunches. Fish gulps, Bear licks. Deer grazes, Raccoon picks. Beaver chomps, Frog zaps. Skunk slurps, Turtle snaps. Supper waits, Fireside greets. Door opens, Kitten eats.
This would make a perfect first reader for just about any child. In Kitten’s Autumn, we accompany a Calico kitten on her very first trip through nature’s wonders during the season known as Autumn. She discovers other animals, both friendly and fearsome, all of whom are feasting on whatever it is they eat. This kitten observes them all before returning to her home for warmth and a good meal.
Each double page is meant to illustrate a single sentence in a poem, and children will come to absorb the lesson that there’s a difference between being outside with nature and being inside one’s own home-sweet-home. The text and illustrations by Eugenie Fernandes (author of Kitten’s Spring) are both cute and charming. This one’s a winner, by all accounts – especially for curious cats and kids!
Well recommended.
This review was written by Joseph Arellano. Reprinted courtesy of Sacramento Book Review. This book is recommended for children between the ages of 4 and 8.
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Everybody’s Got Something to Hide*
*except for me and my monkey
Kasey to the Rescue: The Remarkable Story of a Monkey and a Miracle by Ellen Rogers (Hyperion; $23.99; 288 pages)
“Walk through one door at a time, I told myself, then look for a key to the next. That was my strategy, and I was sticking to it.”
If you’re looking for a heartwarming present for someone this Christmas, this book may be it. I had a copy of Kasey to the Rescue in my stash of books at the office, picked it up to scan during the lunch hour, and found it hard to close.
Ellen Rogers’ 22-year-old son Ned was a student at the University of Arizona when he had a horrible auto accident that left him close to death. The opening scene describing how Ellen got from Concord, Massachusetts to Tucson overnight is worth the price of admission as something amazing happened to speed her journey. Her son survived the crash but as a quadriplegic with a brain injury.
“Pride. Courage. Hope. They were all there in those three little words.”
Ned had always been extremely athletic and daring – despite a lack of natural skills – so his life came to a grim halt after the tragic event. Inaction and depression crept in until the gift of an amazingly smart and social female Capuchin monkey gave him back his spirit, his mobility and his hope of persevering. Kasey the monkey had been ever so patiently trained by foster parents and by the Monkey College maintained by Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled. (As with a human college, it takes two to four years to matriculate at Monkey College.)
Rogers’ telling of this tough, but inspirational, tale is as humorous as it is gripping and touching. If this were an advertisement for a Disney film, you would read, “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.” This story is not a Disney film… It’s real life. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.
Well recommended.
“This gem of a book will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.” Doris Kearns Goodwin
“A book to change your life.” David Doss, Making Rounds with Oscar
“The story told in this book is one of hope, perserverance, laughter, and most importantly, family.” Megan Talbert, Executive Director, Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, Inc.
This review was written by Joseph Arellano. A review copy was provided by the publisher.
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