BIG CYPRESS BUCK

Although this story of an orphaned fawn who survives in the Big Cypress Swamp is illustrated with singular power and beauty, certain elements of violence seem too strong for ideal child reading fare. Doubtless the facts of the predatory nature of wildlife, and of the survival of the fittest, are not exaggerated. Still, the moribund details of a bear's attack on a doe are unnecessary and uncalled for in the narrative. Nor is the inclusion of the revolting description of a bear's maggot-infested wound conducive to the mental health of young readers.