Caesar's Antlers [Hardcover]

Brooks Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1997 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

By a master of "surreal storytelling in the tradition of Carroll, Lewis, and Tolkien." --Library Journal

As he travels on his own mission to the Northlands of Norway, a reindeer named Caesar is joined by unlikely companions; a mother sparrow searching with her two chicks for her lost mate. With Caesar's permission, the birds make a nest in his antlers and travel with him through athe fall and into winter. Little do they know that the object of their search, after being rescued from an accident by a well-meaning schoolgirl, has been taken miles away, across the sea, and that he is desperately seeking them as well. Both searches seem hopeless, but in this unique adventure, devotion, perseverance, and self-sacrifice - with the help of a little magic - are richly rewarded.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When two birds become separated, a buck consents to let the female make a nest in its antlers and they set out to find her partner. PW wrote, "This gentle animal tale about an endearing pair of sparrows and a loyal Nordic deer is just waiting for graduates of Bambi and Charlotte's Web." Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. A masterful look at friendship, love, and loyalty in the frozen wilds of Norway. At the end of summer, Caesar and the other reindeer return from grazing to find their human herders and head for their winter home. He is surprised when he is hitched to a riderless sled full of mysterious packages and given the scent of two missing brothers. Nearby Piorello and Bette, two sparrows, fall in love and hatch two babies. Piorello leaves the nest for food and is injured. He is rescued by a girl who is visiting her grandmother. Reluctantly, she leaves for school in England, taking the injured bird with her. Meanwhile, Bette, frantic with worry, sets off to hunt for her mate, lodging her nest and babies on the antler of the willing Caesar. Hansen quietly spins the tale of the desperate searches of these animals: Piorello, who tries to find a way back to Norway; Caesar, who faithfully plods toward his human friends; and Bette, torn by worry and the need to protect her children, and yet reassured by Caesar's gentle friendship. Simply written, yet full of wonder and magic, the story builds to a satisfying, if tragic conclusion. The author creates his animal characters with care, puts them in believable situations, and hints at the mysteries of life and death that overlay the natural world. His spare ink drawings add to the quiet mood of this read-aloud, which captures the winter's chill and the warmth of a loving heart.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1 edition (October 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374310246
• ISBN-13: 978-0374310240
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,855,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful children's book, December 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Caesar's Antlers (Hardcover)

Hansen's book "The Chess Garden" concerned, about many other things, the necessity of stories. Now that he's writing for children, he doesn't have to explain: he simply creates a moving, beautiful story about love, loss, courage and finding one's way home. As before, his research is so impeccable yet so carefully used that you feel that he's simply transcribing very real events -- even when relating the inner thoughts of a sparrow. There are two very particular acheivements inthis book. The first is the character of Caesar, the most indomitable, admirable animal hero I've come across -- imagine Horton the elephant crossed with Bigwig, from Watership Down. His brave, faithful nature is exactly what you'd expect a reindeer's to be. And the second achievement is its careful grappling with the things that children really think about: family, love, loss, and even death. Its spiritual lessons are equal in weight (thought different in intent) to those of Wind In the Willows or The Lion, the Witch, in the War

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Seasonal tale., April 11, 2007

By 

ems (westchester, ny) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Caesar's Antlers (Paperback)

Nice read about the power of friendship and giving.
Grades 3-5. Boys and Girls will enjoy.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very dissappointing and sluggish, January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Caesar's Antlers (Hardcover)

As an admirer of author's previous two books, I was interested to see what direction he would take in his third effort. As a new mother, I was delighted when I heard it was to be a children's book. But after reading it myself, I'm not sure when if ever I would give it to my child. Author's prose has become increasingly robotic and airless, and the preponderance of Christian metaphors has become tedious. Too much (questionable) philosophizing, and the psychology of the characters is so flat. (Yes, I know they're animals, but even animals have inner lives.) Stick to the stories, Mr. Hanson! And what has happened to the sense of humor so evident in the first book? Very tiresome tale, probably fit only for very religious children who are leading very drab lives. They'll consider it moving and uplifting. To the rest of us, this book, and that reindeer, are a big drag.