Nicky the Swamp Dog: A True Story - Hardcover

Hirshberg, Jacklyn Sonnier

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 092541736X ISBN 13: 9780925417367

Publisher: Acadian House Pub, 2000

Synopsis

Narrates the adventures of Nicky, a terrier who settled in with a swamp guide in southern Louisiana's Atchafalaya River Basin, and grew up to rescue and nurture lost and injured animals from osprey and beavers to baby alligators.

About this title

About the Author

About the Author:

JACKLYN SONNIER HIRSHBERG is an anthropologist who studied at the University of Houston, focusing on the culture of Native American Indians. After living in Houston for 25 years, she returned to her hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, and was introduced to the nearby Atchafalaya River Basin, which she now considers “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” A tour of the swamp with guide D. Ray “Half Pint” Guillory in the summer of 1997 developed into a two-year course of learning about the basin and the variety of wildlife which inhabits this vast semi-wilderness area. Nicky The Swamp Dog is the first book Ms. Hirshberg has authored.

About the Photographer:

D. RAY “HALF PINT” GUILLORY is a swamp guide who lives with his dog, Nicky, in a houseboat in the Atchafalaya River Basin near Henderson, Louisiana. He got his nickname, “Half Pint,” only because he was smaller than his brother. Born in Orange, Texas, in 1950, he spent his childhood roaming the wooded areas, rice fields and swamps near his home. Feeling right at home in the great outdoors, he became a self-taught naturalist and photographer. After living in the wilderness of southeast Texas for two decades, he moved to the Atchafalaya swamp in the mid-1980s. Operating under the banner of “Half Pint’s Small Boat Swamp Adventures,” he has taken visitors from all over the world into the swamp to show them an environment such as they had never seen before. He trained Nicky to help entertain visitors to the swamp; he also taught her to rescue lost or injured animals. He considers his little swamp dog to be his best friend.

Reviews

Gr 3-5-Southern Louisiana's Atchafalaya River Basin is home to many swamp guides, and this book tells the story of one of them and his unique canine assistant. Nicky goes out with Guillory on his boat and helps entertain customers. She also plays a big role in helping rescue and nurture a wide variety of lost and injured animals. This "biography" begins with Nicky's adoption as a puppy by her master and details many of her adventures by providing anecdotes about her life, especially about her interaction with other swamp creatures. Unfortunately, finding a target audience for the book may be difficult. It's a very simple story with appeal for younger readers, but its intrinsic charm is greatly overwhelmed by the ornate writing style. The text is filled with extensive descriptions and dialogue that detract from the story's sense of immediacy, and much of Nicky's appeal gets buried in the narrative. Guillory's color photos are a nice accompaniment to the text. This offering might have slight appeal to kids living in the region, and die-hard animal fans might have some interest, but the sophisticated writing and text-heavy look will probably keep it from a wider audience.-Arwen Marshall, formerly at New York Public Library

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Acadian House Pub
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 092541736X
• ISBN 13: 9780925417367
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Guillory D. Ray
• Number of pages: 40