Customer Reviews

How it Was With Dooms: A True Story from Africa (Aladdin Picture Books)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I heard about this book on National Public Radio some time ago and bought it for my 7-year-old nephew. I had a hard time giving it up. The story is told from the boy's perspective, which can get a little self-conscious. But the text and photos tell an incredible story of a family's relationship and affection for a marvelous animal few of us will ever be able to get this close to. It's now one of my nephew's favorite books .... and mine, too.

My son wanted this book when he heard about it at a book fair at school. It is an incredible book. We love the way it is written from a little boys perspective (Xan was 10 when the book was written.) We recently had the opportunity to meet Carol Hopcraft and her husband when they came to our city. Dooms was not really a pet - he was free to go as he liked - but he did not ever leave them. He hunted - he was not feed like a pet once he reached maturity. Shallah, his successor, did the same. I am sure their current cheetah does it as well. The book is heartwarming and is written with the love and respect they had for Dooms. This is even more evident when they talk about their life with Dooms. They, more than most of us, understand that cheetahs are wild animals. This book is not meant to tote the benefits of have a pet cheetah - it is book about the bond between humans and animals.

Why is it that "kids" books are sometimes so much more interesting than Adult books? As if upon reaching adulthood we some how lose interest in animals. Well, perhaps I'm a kid at heart. I found this a great book. This is a very touching story about a family's relationship with an adopted Cheetah Cub. The story is simple yet full of truth and insight. For me, it highlights the need to see animals as dignified creatures in need of our compassion and protection. This is a book that will hopefully send an important message to young readers.Regardless of whether Cheetahs should be or should not be, or were or were not domesticated, this is a cool book with neat photos and I highly recommend it.

one of the most delightful 'happy ending' stories the little ones (or their parents!) will ever read. This is a 'children's book' you'll be proud to leave on your coffee table.

We love this book! The pictures are amazing. I just wish they were twice as big. I would love to see a reprint on large, glossy paper. The story is really humorous and touching.

How It Was With Dooms is the wonderful true story of one family's adventure raising an orphaned cheetah in Africa. The movie Duma was based on this story. The true story is not quite like the movie so it was a pleasant surprise to learn the truth about Dooms. The book has great photographs of the Hopcraft family with Dooms and is an amazing snapshot of life in Africa.

First of all, it's a fine book, and we like it, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars. So I'm not knocking the book. However, we bought it after we'd seen the movie, "Duma," which we thought was based on this book. Since our kids like "Duma" we thought they'd like to look at the book version, too. This review is mostly written for people like me, who came to this book via the movie. If that's not you, you don't need to read any further.

Now, I've seen plenty of movies that are based on books, and of course the movies deviate from the books, some a lot, some a little. I was prepared for that. But when I got the book, I was surprised - and a bit disappointed - that the movie and the book have absolutely nothing to do with each other. The only similarity that I can see is that there is a boy who lives on a farm in Africa, and a cheetah ends up on the farm, too. That's it for similarities.

For instance, in the beginning of the movie, the boy and his father find a baby cheetah at night wandering around on a road. The boy seems to be about 10 or so. In the book, a man comes to the farm and opens up his coat to reveal a cheetah cub. This happens before Xan is born. That's one example I feel comfortable writing about, as it doesn't give away any major plot points to the book or movie. But I will say - and those who have already seen the movie will know what I'm talking about - that there's a major plot point surrounding Xan's father that never happens in the book, and the whole plot line of returning Duma to the wild is completely absent from the book as well. As these two things are what drives the movie, not to have them makes the book and the movie two completely separate entities with almost nothing to do with each other.

So it's a nice book, and we like it. But buy it as an interesting book, not as a companion or supplement to the movie "Duma."

What many people don't realize, is that the cheetah was once a domesticated animal. Bred by the ancient egyptians as pets and hunting animals, they still retain a lot of their domestic qualities to this day. The book shows this clearly by the behavior of Dooms towards his family and the fact that he remained with them for so many years. Cheetahs are the one of the most popular of the exotic cats for educational programs because they work so well around people and if more people in modern times had kept and bred them as pets, they wouldn't be so near extinction.

Most children dream of having a wild animal for a pet at one time or another. "How It Was With Dooms: A True Story From Africa" is the real life story of a boy who was raised with a cheetah named Dooms. The photography is fantastic, and the story ends with angst and hope. "Dooms" is a story that I recommend for all children, that adults can enjoy right alongside of them.

I purchased this book for a child and read it myself. What a great window into the mind of a child and their viewpoint on life living in Africa.

Thanks to the author.