Another gripping adventure of the animals of Farthing Wood, by award-winning author Colin Dann
Colin Dann won the Arts Council National Award for Children's Literature for his first novel, The Animals of Farthing Wood.
Gr 4-6 Fifth in the the series about the animals of Farthing Wood, this story stands alone as a gripping tale of suspense among the complacent inhabitants of White Deer Park nature reserve. The natural calm of the reserve is upset by a cunning, silent predator. Animals of all shape and size are being killed and eaten. Soon the precious herd of white deer becomes the favorite target of the deadly interloper. Futile efforts to track the beast by land, air, and water lead only to more deaths. It becomes apparent even after a great cat is spotted as the intruder that stopping it may be impossible. Finally, it is a totally unexpected change in the cat's needs that remove him from the reserve. The fantasy elements of animals that communicate among each other and have solemn pacts blends perfectly with the dinstinctive realistic qualities of the story. Accurate, detailed knowledge of wild animal behavior, combined with a fluid writing style, make this story believable. The constant tension, the mounting fear, the hopelessness are felt, as the animals realize the scope of the danger that they are in. A compelling story of cooperative living, this book could interest fans of Robert C. O'Brien's Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Atheneum, 1971). Elisabeth LeBris, Kenilworth Public School System, Ill.
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