As Hugo looks out his hospital window, he listens to the animal noises that float up from the zoo below. "Come, come home with me," a different wild animal beckons each day. So Hugo puts on his slippers, and suddenly embarks on a series of adventures to faraway lands. Vibrant, rich illustrations enliven this sweet testament to overcoming fear through imagination.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A stay in the hospital has young Hugo longing for home, and when neither playing cards nor watching television holds any interest for him, he follows his imagination to worlds far beyond the hospital walls. From his bed overlooking the zoo, Hugo hears the roars of animals: "Come, come home with me," each seems to say. At the "invitation" of an elephant, a howler monkey and a snow leopard, he cavorts with each, respectively, in the plains of Africa, the Amazon rain forest and the icy Himalayas. For souvenirs of the wilds, he makes inspired gifts for his younger sister (a paper elephant with "flappy ears," a monkey puppet, a leopard mask). Dreamily subdued acrylic paintings hint at the monotony of a hospital stay yet are undercut with magical possibilities. Unusual angles and heightened color given to depictions of Hugo's trips emphasize the vitality of his newly discovered world. An unstated theme adds poignancy: the animals in the zoo, unlike the recovering Hugo, will not be going home. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-A positive example of the use of fantasy for healing and solace. Hugo is bored in the hospital and anxious to go home. Hearing the noises of the animals in the nearby zoo, he starts daydreaming. On successive days, he thinks he hears first an elephant, then a howler monkey, and finally a snow leopard calling him to "come home" with them. After each imaginary trip, his family visits and he tells them where he went, much to the envy of his little sister. When he is released, he tells his friends in the ward the secret of his journeys, and they continue to take them. Harris has created lush acrylic paintings for Wild's text. The realistic scenes have plenty of white space on each page, but the animal adventures seem to burst from the double-page spreads that completely fill the pages. A pleasing choice for story hour and an alternative to the "how a hospital works" genre for children facing or experiencing hospitalization.
Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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