Journey from Peppermint Street

Our rating: ****

Siebren is tired of baby-sitting his younger brother, Knillis. So when Siebren’s grandpa starts out on a short journey to visit a sick aunt, Siebren is very happy to be able to go along also. On the way, he buys a rather helpful ball from an ex-dike inspector, has an adventure in a scary marsh, and meets a very delightful deaf-and-dumb uncle.

A wonderful story! I really like DeJong’s style of writing. The book is written through Siebren’s eyes, but is still in the third person. The plot is simple, yet enjoyable to older readers. I strongly suggest that you read this book.

The Marsh Lions

Our rating: *****

A story of the Maasai Mara Reserve in Africa. The death of the pride’s biggest male sets in motion a long series of events that effect every part of the Reserve. Pride hierarchy changes, new males chase off the old, lionesses die, and cubs are born. Prides split or grow. The amount of available prey fluxuates. Everything from the hyenas and wild dogs, to the leopards and lions, live their lives in this world of change. Nefertari, the cheetah’s struggle to successfully raise a litter of cubs, the wild dogs of Aitong’s desperate fight against extinction, and the wildebeast migrations all play a part.

I feel that this book is a great example of how God made all nature to work together. It is out of print, unfortunately. It does not humanize the animals (thankfully) and when the writers don’t know a detail for sure, they tell you. It is a very true-to-life account, down to every detail, and you can learn a lot about African wildlife from it. I really enjoyed The Marsh Lions.

Irish Red

Our rating: ***½

All of Big Red’s puppies show great prospect for becoming skilled hunters. All except Mike, that is. As the runt of the litter, coupled with his mischievous behavior, Danny has no hope for him. But Mr. Haggin starts wondering if English Setters would be better hunters than Irish Setters. Then, when Mike starts to do some growing up, they think he may just be the dog for the job.

Warning: This is definitely a dog book. But if you liked Big Red, you’ll like this one. You can read about one of Mike’s brothers, Sean, in Outlaw Red.

The Sleeping Giant and Other Stories

Our rating: ****

Three fun stories in one book by Eleanor Estes. The first story is about the Sleeping Giant (three hills) and how it leaves and lies down in the ocean on the International Date Line. The next story is about a girl who lost her shadow. There’s a part in that one that I don’t appreciate, though. And the last story is about a giraffe named Gloria who, unknown to everyone but the occupants’ little girl, lives in a living room after escaping from the zoo.

The Sleeping Giant story is rather fun, because when he lays across the International Date Line, half of him is in today and half of him is in yesterday. So the people living on him move back to yesterday if they wish to avoid something like a dentist appointment.

Wildlife Cameraman

Our rating: ****

Jase Mason plans to spend the summer in the wilderness with his Airedale terrier, Buckles, and his cameras in an attempt to fulfill his dream of becoming a famous wildlife photographer. While they’re there, however, they experience a run-in with a well-known poacher, the Cat Bird, and, with the help of Tom Rainse, they have to track down him down and deal with a huge, renegade black bear.

I enjoyed this one more than I had expected to. Wildlife Cameraman provides a good look at just how much work went into taking a picture. After all, this book is from the 1950s, and using a camera required more than just pushing a button, as it does today. Now, I may have rated this one more than most people because I like wildlife and I like cameras, but I do recommend it. As a note, this is the same Tom Rainse and Jase Mason in A Nose for Trouble and Hidden Trail