DANBY AND GEORGE

by Betty Baker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 9, 1981

Danby is a deer mouse who lives cautiously over the garage at the zoo. His friend George is a wood rat who finds himself homeless and is thus persuaded to move in with Danby, despite his aversion to the Outlanders (zoo animals) and their bad smell. But George is curious and acquisitive--he's attracted to the TV in the apes' cage, and to shiny scraps he spies in spots that are far too close to the large animals for safety-conscious Danby's comfort. With George in the picture, Danby finds himself worrying most of the time. But when George is trapped in a garbage can Danby finds himself actually entering the gorilla cage, to seek help from the ape with whom George has struck up a friendship. Nothing much happens--Danby helps gorilla Viki out of her cage; she rescues George and returns; and in the end we know that George will go on breaking Danby's safety rules and Danby will go on worrying. Fair enough. But this is told so evenly, without a dramatic moment or a flash of wit or a sense of the characters beyond their assigned traits, that their interaction leaves us cold.

Pub Date: Feb. 9, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Greenwillow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1981

Categories: FICTION