"No beast of prey can kill his victim without frightening him first. ... an animal's fear kills it before its enemy gives it the final blow."
Well, I finished reading Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji. Besides the fact that I've always struggled with animal-centric stories, I bet you can guess why I put off reading this Newbery Winner for so long. Gay-Neck is translated from an Indian word. Another translation would be "iridescent throat."
The title bird is a carrier pigeon. We hear his story from the point of view of his trainer in India, and occasionally, from Gay-Neck himself. At one point Gay-Neck is a carrier pigeon in World War I.
This book wasn't all bad. It was interesting and informative at times, there was action and adventure both on the battle front and in the jungle, and it had the theme of courage threaded throughout it. But I'm afraid that the title alone would deter any young reader today.
Only two more to go! Smoky the Cowhorse, I'll conquer you yet!
No comments:
Post a Comment