Kirjailijakuva

Eunice Young Smith

Teoksen The Jennifer Wish tekijä

16 teosta 131 jäsentä 3 arvostelua

Sarjat

Tekijän teokset

The Jennifer Wish (1949) 24 kappaletta
The Jennifer Gift (1950) 17 kappaletta
Jennifer Dances (1954) 15 kappaletta
Jennifer Is Eleven (1952) 13 kappaletta
Where From? (1961) 13 kappaletta
The Jennifer Prize (1951) 10 kappaletta
High Heels for Jennifer (1964) 6 kappaletta
Sam's Big Worry (1953) 5 kappaletta
The Little Red Drum (1961) 5 kappaletta
The Knowing One (1967) 5 kappaletta
Shoon: Wild Pony of the Moors (1965) 4 kappaletta
The House With the Secret Room (1956) 4 kappaletta
Where to, Tillie Turtle? (1964) 3 kappaletta
To Each a Season (1965) 2 kappaletta
Where From? 1 kappale

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

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Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

Simple explanations of where common foods come from: fields, farms, etc.
Illustrations characteristic of the era.
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
librisissimo | Dec 1, 2020 |
Songkeena the vixen is but a kit when she first discovers the brutality of the world. Left a homeless orphan at a young age, after her parents and brothers are killed by human hunters, and their den dynamited, she puts what training she has had to good use in the struggle to survive. Always cautious, always careful, she becomes a skilled hunter, and an elusive quarry. Her keen intelligence and boundless curiosity lead her to observe the world around her with careful and joyful attention, a quality she is surprised to discover that she shares with a quiet young two-legs cub - a human boy who spends countless hours in the woods, sometimes observing its inhabitants, sometimes playing music that Songkeena finds enchanting. The vixen's eventual mate - a gallant but rather foolish fox she names Nuroo - is not her equal when it comes to the craft of hunting, a situation that leads inevitably to trouble. Rescuing Nuroo on a number of occasions - first from a steel trap in which he is caught, and then from a local dog with whom she had previously struck up an unlikely (and rather manipulative) friendship - Songkeena must rely on him when she has her first litter, and discovers the joy of motherhood. Sadly, the loving but foolish Nuroo, eager to provide for his new family, targets the wrong prey, leading to tragedy for all involved...

Although best known for her series of books about an Indiana farm-girl named Jennifer, author and artist Eunice Young Smith appears to have published in a number of genres for children, from the picture-book to the animal story. Published in 1967, The Knowing One is an example of the latter, and appears to be its creator's only foray into the world of foxes. As someone with an interest in the depiction of these animals in children's fiction, I regret that, as it was an immensely engaging tale, one which was by turns thought-provoking and heart-breaking. I was intrigued - and also often moved - by Songkeena's sense of connection to the unnamed human boy, whose picture appears with her on the cover of the book. Colorado author George Cory Franklin also wrote about the power of music, as a means of communicating between human and animal, in his two fox tales - Tricky: The Adventures of a Red Fox (1949) and Zorra: A Fox of the Mountains (1957) - but Smith gives these interludes in which Songkeena observes this strange kindred spirit from the dangerous two-legged world, a sense of meaning that is both poignant and powerful. There is a deep connection here, between fox and boy, that is made explicit in Songkeena's comparison of the two: "It was evident he felt no need to pounce on and gobble up what he saw. This was strange and fascinating behavior to the young fox. It mystified her while at the same time it gave her a deep sense of the boy's being. He was not hungry so he did not kill. Like herself he respected what was not needed for the sake of survival. Like herself he seemed to enjoy the woods and the fields and lake and all that lived there. Like herself he could remain very still and watch for a long time. His stillness was comforting to the fox." It is a connection that will play a fateful role when Nuroo's actions bring the wrath of the local farming community down upon their heads, and Songkeena loses her new family.

The Knowing One is a realistic depiction of a wild fox's life, capturing both the brutality of its vulpine heroine's experiences - Smith does not shy away from some very disturbing story elements, from the destruction of Songkeena's first den, to the almost casual way in which her kits are killed, when it becomes apparent that they cannot be used to lure her into the open - and the beauty. I'm rather grateful I didn't stumble across it as a child, as I think the conclusion would have left me broken-hearted, and haunted me for years. That said, I'm glad to have encountered it now, not just because it presents an engaging story, but because it provokes reflection about the connections between humanity and the natural world - and what that connection might look like from the other side - and between survival and both joy and sorrow.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
AbigailAdams26 | Aug 29, 2015 |
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
BrendaConnolly | Aug 12, 2008 |

Listat

Tilastot

Teokset
16
Jäseniä
131
Suosituimmuussija
#154,467
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 4.7
Kirja-arvosteluja
3
ISBN:t
4

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