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

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5. In this photo-essay, 12-year-old Xan Hopcraft recounts the life of Dooms, a cheetah who lived on the Hopcrafts' game ranch in Kenya until Xan was 7. Although readers will learn some facts about cheetahs, Dooms seems more like an overgrown pet than a wild animal. The inclusion of wildlife photographer Carol Hopcraft's pictures from the family album reinforces this perception. The family's close relationship with Dooms is apparent, and his death affected his human companions deeply. Yet Xan's comments often seem too reflective and philosophical for someone so young, and he sometimes ascribes human emotions and attitudes to the big cat. The prevailing sense of Dooms as an exotic pet is reinforced by the book's ending, when the veterinarian brings a baby cheetah for the family to raise after Dooms's death. A possible purchase for those interested in interactions between human and unusual animals but hardly an informative or representative study of life in the wild.?Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MNCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 2^-4. Following the death of their beloved pet, 12-year-old Xan and his mother, Carol, decided to put together a scrapbook of memories about Dooms, the family's cheetah. Abandoned as a baby, Dooms came to live with the Hopcrafts on their wildlife ranch near Nairobi, Kenya. Although treated as a pet, Dooms also spent part of his time hunting in the wild. The story, dictated by Xan and transcribed by his mother, comes across as simple and direct, though some of the conversational fragments may bother some readers. The illustrations, a combination of family photos (the elder Hopcraft is a wildlife photographer by profession) and Xan's drawings, show the amazing landscape and wildlife of Africa as well as the gentle interaction of Dooms with family members. Although there are no cautions offered about the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets, Dooms is sure to charm animal lovers everywhere. Kay Weisman


Book Description
Twelve-year-old Xan Hopcraft grew up with a pet cheetah at his home in Nairobi, Kenya. When the magnificent animal died, Xan wrote a story about what it was like to own a cheetah and how he died. With both photographs and Xan's own drawings, here is a real story of life in Africa.


Card catalog description
Ten-year-old Xan tells about the life of Dooms, the cheetah which became his pet and lived with his family in Kenya, Africa.


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Twelve-year-old Xan Hopcraft grew up with a pet cheetah at his home in Nairobi, Kenya. When the magnificent animal died, Xan wrote a story about what it was like to own a cheetah and how he died. With both photographs and Xan's own drawings, here is a real story of life in Africa.


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