About book Beasts Of New York: A Children's Book For Grown-Ups (2000)
In some ways this book makes my think of Watership Down, but a lighter version ... and with squirrels instead of rabbits. We follow young Patch, son of Silver, of the Seeker clan, of the Treetops tribe, of the Center Kingdom. The Center Kingdom is Central Park in New York City. It is late winter and Patch can't find any of the nuts he buried, and he's not the only one either. Something is going on and Patch is determined to get to the bottom of it. The rats seem to be up to something. In his quest for food, Patch overhears rats and a rogue squirrel plotting and talking about the King Beneath. Then Patch is diverted and must make the quest of his life to find his way back home.With squirrels, cats, birds, and rats, we get into the lives and behaviors of these animals. Patch has fear, but knows that he must take risks to win his home safe home. He meets many animals on his quest from Zelina, Queen of All Cats; Toro, a loyal blue jay; Daffa, a pigeon with a geographic-centric memory; Karmerruk, a lordly hawk; and White, a lonely albino squirrel. I loved the characters, and the story has a bit of a folk tale feel to it. I greatly enjoyed this fantasy of the life and adventures of a Central Park squirrel in NYC - although I was a little uncomfortable with the occasional violence. Evans is an excellent story-teller and the various strands of the story are skillfully woven together in such a way that you want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen next to the hero of the story. I can see this book being made into an animated feature film -- it's filled with adventure but also has realistic character development, self-reflection and philosophical insight. The book design, materials, and great illustrations - wonderful woodcuts - all add to and enhance the book's overall "mythic" feel. After reading this book, you'll probably look at the squirrels in your urban environment and wonder.. are their lives so "simple" or uncomplicated after all?
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Short, fast, epic. Watership Down meets Lord of the Rings!
—taylurrc
