The Girl, the Gypsy and the Gargoyle

by Darcy Pattison

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
—Michelangelo
But what if an unscrupulous sculptor could trap someone inside a block of stone, just so he could carve them?
Master Gimpel, a deformed stone carver, intrigues Laurel and Jassy, her gypsy friend, when he offers a path to untold riches. Master Gimpel explains that his Troll’s Eye, a red jewel, is a doorway into the stone world where a treasure cave awaits. From the moment Laurel looks through the Troll’s Eye, she and her gypsy companion enter a dangerous race for their lives. Two go in, two must come out.

Genres: Fantasy, Picture Books, Environment, Childrens, Fiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2013

About the author

DARCY PATTISON (www.darcypattison.com) is published in ten languages.

Children’s book author Darcy Pattison writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her works have received starred PW, Kirkus, and BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, Junior Library Guild selections, and NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

What made this book stand out for me was the immediate connection I was able to make with the actual puma (video of Abayomi when he first arrived: http://www.icmbio.gov.br/corredordaso...) and conservation going on in Brazil right now (http://www.icmbio.gov.br/corredordaso...). I believe the story, in both words and pictures, captures the conservation issues in a gentle enough way for the youngest of readers to grasp the challenges facing many wild animals on the planet. And, how humans interact with them, in both beneficial and harmful ways. A good "gateway" animal story for any reader ready to look beyond the pages of a book to see the main character come to life.

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!

The Girl, The Gypsy & The Gargoyle is the story of Laurel, the daughter of a master mason. Her world is thrown into chaos when Father Goossens announces that construction on the cathedral is complete and that he doesn't intend to build the western tower. Laurel's father, Master Raymond, has planned the western tower and was relying on that work to continue for the next decade. Laurel has always lived in the shadow of the cathedral, where will she go when that is no longer her home?

A gypsy named Jassy and his companions encounter some difficulties with their dancing bear while performing on the street in town and the injuries that his uncle, Antonio, sustains are life threatening. What will Jassy do if he loses his uncle, the man who has always provided for him?

So, when Master Gimple, a stone carver, offers Laurel and Jassy a fantastical trip through the Troll's Eye to a cavern filled with treasure and a pathway lined with miraculously healing flowers, how could either of them refuse? Gimple describes a curse that befalls the one who looks through the eye, a monstrous guardian who will maim anyone who takes more than a "troll's weight" of treasure, and the need for the travelers to be there and back again in three days. If you remain in the land of the Troll's Eye for more than three days, you are stuck there forever. Despite these dangers, Laurel and Jassy decide to take their chances...

I liked the set up for the adventure into the troll's eye. I thought that both Laurel and Jassy had compelling reasons to go, despite the dangers that they knew were there. However, I didn't much like their actual journey once they were there. Perhaps the author was trying to convey the inevitability of the curse, but it seemed like Laurel lost all ability to reason once she began the journey.

In the beginning of the story, she was a competent crafts(wo)man, the town healer, adept with herbs and bandages, and a burgeoning stone carver. However, once she and Jassy were through the troll eye, she screams at every shadow, doesn't trust to logic, doesn't understand what's important and what's not. The shift was too unbelievable for me. I'm also much too trusting, I suppose, to believe in the major betrayal that occurred at the end.

I know that this is considered a book for middle grade readers, but that doesn't mean that the story can't be explained well or the characters well fleshed out. I really disliked the ending and it gave me a "creeped out" feeling to know that even though Laurel did the best that she could at the time and with what she knew that it still led to such a grim fate. Master Gimple, who has such a huge role, is hardly described at all except for the obligatory back story. There could have been so much more to this tale than what was written.

Younger fantasy readers and fans of Lauren Oliver's The Spindlers may enjoy this story.

[Brenda Kahn]

Somehow I missed this until it showed up in the JLG collection of free digital books they were offering during virtual learning. Thank you JLG. Usually, when it comes to nonfiction animal books, I'm all about photos. Here, the elegant watercolor painting make the book. The story is heartbreaking and raises all kinds of questions about how we humans share space with wild animals. There's a bit of information about nature corridors that are being planned into some areas of development to give animals safe passage from one area to another. At the same time the reader meets a mother puma and her cub. The mama puma sometimes finds prey scarce until she discovered a chicken farm. Chicken farmers don't want their livestock disappearing, so this one set a trap. At this point, the narrative turned from impressionistic to reportorial, which was bit of jolt rhythmically. The spare description of the mama stuns. Fruitless efforts to find the cub make the heart ache. I loved the repetitive use of the word, "maybe" to wonder how a defenseless cub would survive. I loved how the author used the concept of invisibility to mirror the work of the mama with the work of the scientists's efforts to get the baby back to the wild. For me the book ended too abruptly. I turned the page and the cub was grown and released to the wild. Back matter provided a bit more information about dates the cub was captured then released, but little else about it. Urls point to more information about nature corridors and the North American Cougar website, but no photos or videos or websites about Abayomi. Good informational literature will raise questions in the reader and should prompt curiosity and the desire to learn more. Information about how the wildlife conservation scientists rehabilitated Abayomi is probably fodder for an entire book - perhaps ones with photos?

[Patricia Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book illustrates how habitat loss effects one of Brazil's endangered cats--the puma. The human desire for more cars, more roads, more buildings, more food have decimated rain forests. Pumas, who in Pattison's beautiful prose "only walked abroad at night on silent paws," now come into conflict with humans, raiding chicken coops or other livestock. In Pattison's story, the farmer sets a trap for the puma but grows impatient before the proper authorities arrive. His impatience leads to the death of a mother puma with nursing cubs.

While ABAYOMI has a happy ending, human-wildlife conflicts are growing more popular in the rain forests of Brazil and Indonesia, and on the plains of Africa. Conflicts in which the animals almost always lose.

Pattison closes her story with startling facts about our increasingly urban world and the importance of establishing wildlife corridors to protect animals and plants. Lastly, Pattison provides young readers with links to some of these groups in addition to suggestions for further reading. A must-read for the Earth-conscious child!

[Terry Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

As in "Wisdom," Darci Pattison thrills us with her presentation of science in an engaging, beautifully written true story. Pattison's evocative story and Harvill's beautiful watercolors bring the problem of a city's encroachment on the wild home. This story of a true event took place near a large city, "in sight of skyscrapers." Readers are challenged by the idea that such a city, a place similar to where many of us live, could be dangerous.
Silent and invisible, the pumas coexist with the humans until one day, the pressure of not finding food becomes too much for the nursing mother. She ravages a chicken house and gets caught. We feel for both the farmer and the chicken-stealing puma, that, after being caught, dies before she can be rescued by appropriate authorities. The tragic event leaves her nursing baby to fend for himself. Abayomi is found after 23 days of wondering, alone, in the outskirts of the city. The book ends on a note of hope that Abayomi can return to the wild.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true story’s vivid and evocative art is spectacular, and Pattison’s text clearly tells the story of an orphaned puma cub and its disappearing habitat. Although there is strong science content here (how and why the Brazilian forests are disappearing, how this is impacting pumas and other creatures, the work of puma scientists and wildlife officers), it is Abayomi’s story that will grip readers. Will he survive? Will the scientists be able to “stay invisible” so that the cub can successfully return to the forest? Back matter includes facts about the real-life Abayomi and “Our Urban World.” This book is sure to captivate budding scientists, animal lovers, and young conservationists. And the art will enchant and stimulate any reader's imagination.

[Kate Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a child interested in how the animals of the world live, ABAYOMI, The BRAZILIAN PUMA, is perfect. At first glance, the reader will be drawn in by the cool, blue eyes of the puma on the cover. Then as the story describes how pumas are losing their habitat, the fate of the cub is clearly in doubt. As Abayomi learns to survive, the young reader will be full of questions and suggestions. A clear description of the everyday struggle between wild animals and the spreading of cities, telling the fate of Abayomi is more than lovely watercolors and a jungle story. Kudos to Darcy Pattison and illustrator, Kitty Harvill, for this fine story.

[Stephanie Bearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teachers need to put this book on their library shelves.
The heartbreaking story of an orphaned baby puma introduces the problems of deforestation, endangered animals, and human impact in a way that is easy for students to understand. Sparse yet lyrical writing creates a book that engages readers and informs at the same time. The beautiful illustrations make the story come to life.

This book can be used as an introduction to environmental problems for younger children and also serves as a great jumping off point for older students research projects.

Recommended for every elementary library.

[Kaylee Mercer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abandoned. Alone. No place to call home. This is how Abayomi, the Brazilian baby Puma cub felt after being orphaned after the loss of the mama Puma. One night, the mama puma went to find food for the baby cub and died after being captured by a chicken farmer. Abayomi went for months without proper care or the know how to find food. When DNA specialists found out that the Mama Puma was pregnant, they hunted for the baby puma. Several months later, they found the puma and nursed it back to health.

This story was really good! Impressive illustrations and captivating story! This could be used in a classroom to discuss wildlife and refuges.

[Jennyfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sad tale tell the story of Abayomi, an orphaned cub in Brazil. This is actually a true story about how a puma got separated from his mom and was lost for about a month. After he is found, the wild life rescue of Brazil took him in and tried to recuperate his strength and energy from being cold, starving and scared. This book was illustrated by the use of water colors and gave us different point of views while the story was being illustrated. It changes scenery from a single page full of cities and cars, and the next page offers a full spread of the Brazilian Jungle. This book may be used as an introduction to read non-fiction books for students.

[Debra McCracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and an interesting true story of an orphaned Brazilian puma. The book factually and simply explains what is happening as the world becomes more urbanized as it relates to animals in the wild. It does this through the story of Abayomi, a cub whose mother was killed while it was still a nursing cub. What made it interesting to me was the care the humans took to make sure Abayomi would be able to return to its natural habitat once it grew older and stronger. A very good read.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story that points out the necessity of making room for all of creation and not excluding some for the benefit of others. This was not formatted ideally for an electronic reader and thus I did not see the complete illustrations or text. A great read aloud when studying biomes or habitats.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an informational book about the consequences of clashes between human and wildlife habitat.

The way in which the cub's mom died was a true injustice. Hopefully the young readers will grow up and seek peaceful resolutions to human/wildlife conflicts.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very accessible for younger readers.

This website provides more information about the Puma Corridor Project
http://www.icmbio.gov.br/corredordaso...

Most of the site is in English though some is in Portuguese.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The words are typed in a larger font that make them easier to see, and the illustrations are beautifully done. It's a very precise book, and may teach some children interested in animals a few things about wild ones.

[Jessica Leake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great children's book. I think children can make great connections based on the text of this book. I also think the illistrations are amazing in this book. If young children did not know what the animal was they could learn by the pictures in the book.

[Patrician Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming story and very detailed in certain aspects of the book. Also the pictures and illustrations were amazing and perfect for the context of the book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful nonfiction elementary-age read-aloud.

[Roseanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

on-the-nose writing, slow action beats, hard to read, writers shouldn't emulate this author's voice. had to stop reading, some kind of awefulness

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elementary and up picture book about a rescued puma and its rehabilitation and release.