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Teddycats #1
Teddycats
Bill is a young Teddycat, which means he’s one of the most special--and mysterious--animals in the jungle. Teddycats can climb higher than any other mammal around. And because the Teddycats can climb so high, they get to live way up in the highest branches of the tallest trees, in a well-hidden and protected place called Cloud Kingdom.
There are a lot of perks to Teddycat life, but there’s also a lot of responsibility--and rules--that come with it.
Here are some things that Teddycats CANNOT do:
• Use their super-strong, razor-sharp claws for anything except climbing or life-or-death situations
• Reveal their existence or the location of Cloud Kingdom to humans and other predators
And the number one thing that Teddycats can definitely, no matter what, NEVER do:
• Bring outsiders into Cloud Kingdom
That last rule is the most serious one of all. Unfortunately, it’s also the rule that Bill breaks one fateful day, when he brings his buddy Luke, an Olingo, up into Cloud Kingdom. All of a sudden, predators are circling, the ground beneath Cloud Kingdom is littered with human traps, and the Teddycat sanctuary is under attack. Their secret has been exposed, and Bill’s in danger of being banished for his crime.
When a baby Teddycat is trapped and taken by a potentially vicious human, Bill knows he has to make things right. Along with a brave but ragtag team of comrades, he sets out into the jungle, determined to fight for the future of his species.
Will curiosity kill the Teddycats? Or will Bill find a way to claw his way out of this mess?
There are a lot of perks to Teddycat life, but there’s also a lot of responsibility--and rules--that come with it.
Here are some things that Teddycats CANNOT do:
• Use their super-strong, razor-sharp claws for anything except climbing or life-or-death situations
• Reveal their existence or the location of Cloud Kingdom to humans and other predators
And the number one thing that Teddycats can definitely, no matter what, NEVER do:
• Bring outsiders into Cloud Kingdom
That last rule is the most serious one of all. Unfortunately, it’s also the rule that Bill breaks one fateful day, when he brings his buddy Luke, an Olingo, up into Cloud Kingdom. All of a sudden, predators are circling, the ground beneath Cloud Kingdom is littered with human traps, and the Teddycat sanctuary is under attack. Their secret has been exposed, and Bill’s in danger of being banished for his crime.
When a baby Teddycat is trapped and taken by a potentially vicious human, Bill knows he has to make things right. Along with a brave but ragtag team of comrades, he sets out into the jungle, determined to fight for the future of his species.
Will curiosity kill the Teddycats? Or will Bill find a way to claw his way out of this mess?
- GenresAnimals
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2016
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 3, 2016
Bill Garra is a Teddycat – a unique jungle-dwelling mammal, living high up in the tallest trees; a community they call the Cloud Kingdom, far away from the other animals in the forest. The Teddycat elders want to keep Cloud Kingdom a secret; to remain separate, to keep outsiders out. Bill doesn’t always understand the rules the elders make; rules like keeping their extra sharp claws hidden unless they need to climb or get out of a life-or-death situation, and he definitely doesn’t understand why he has to keep his friend, Luke, an olingo, out of Cloud Kingdom. When he sneaks Luke into Cloud Kingdom for a look around, the problems seem to begin: predators, including humans, take notice and stalk the Teddycat community. When Bill’s best friend’s sister is trapped and taken by the humans, the Teddycat elders vote to go into hiding, but Bill sets out to rescue her, along with an old frenemy, Omar, a grizzled scout named Diego, a recuperating jaguar named Felix, and Luke. Bill and his group risk banishment from Cloud Kingdom as they face the dangers of the forest.
Looking at the cover, I thought I was going to read a sweet animal adventure when I picked up Teddycats, but what I got was an emotional read about the dangers of deforestation and trophy hunting and a strong subplot about isolationism. Throughout the novel, Bill discovers the downside to the elders’ choice of isolation and the power of teamwork. The big danger here, though, does not come from other animals: it’s the humans, referred to as “Joe” by the Teddycats. They burn, kill, and leave devastation in their wake. They want to sell the Teddycat claws as trinkets, or figure out how to weaponize them, with no regard for the lives they impact. It’s a strong statement, and it may affect some more sensitive readers when animals die. It’s not over the top or gory, but the narrative is matter of fact in stating that these animals are at the mercy of humans and the havoc we wreak.
There are some strong characters in this book. Bill is the self-centered youth who comes of age on his journey; the elders are the frightened old men who are afraid of change; Felix is the wise old cat, and Diego is the grizzled voice of experience. There are more wonderful characters to meet here, and it’s a great opportunity to learn more about animals in the forests of the Andes. Yup, I looked it up. I didn’t see “teddycats” specifically listed, but I did find Olingos versus Olinguitos, which were much more recently discovered. I’m making a wild guess here, but I’m relating Olinguitos to Teddycats (since that’s also what came up in an initial Google search on “Teddycat”).
Grab an atlas to booktalk this story! Explain where the Andes are, talk about some of the residents of the forest that they’ll encounter in the book, and use this opportunity to talk up conservation and preservation of our rain forests, our environment, and the folks we share this world with. Heck, show them the scene from the Spongebob Squarepants movie, when they discover Shell City, and see all the dried starfish and sea life that gets sold as souvenirs!
Talk about movies like Finding Nemo and Happy Feet, that also deal with human impact on the environment, and then talk about all the ways they can help make a difference. Whether it’s writing a letter to a politician, cleaning up after themselves, or being aware of the world around them, they count.
This is a solid animal adventure story with a message; animal fiction fans and kids that are on the lookout for environmentally conscious stories will love it.
Looking at the cover, I thought I was going to read a sweet animal adventure when I picked up Teddycats, but what I got was an emotional read about the dangers of deforestation and trophy hunting and a strong subplot about isolationism. Throughout the novel, Bill discovers the downside to the elders’ choice of isolation and the power of teamwork. The big danger here, though, does not come from other animals: it’s the humans, referred to as “Joe” by the Teddycats. They burn, kill, and leave devastation in their wake. They want to sell the Teddycat claws as trinkets, or figure out how to weaponize them, with no regard for the lives they impact. It’s a strong statement, and it may affect some more sensitive readers when animals die. It’s not over the top or gory, but the narrative is matter of fact in stating that these animals are at the mercy of humans and the havoc we wreak.
There are some strong characters in this book. Bill is the self-centered youth who comes of age on his journey; the elders are the frightened old men who are afraid of change; Felix is the wise old cat, and Diego is the grizzled voice of experience. There are more wonderful characters to meet here, and it’s a great opportunity to learn more about animals in the forests of the Andes. Yup, I looked it up. I didn’t see “teddycats” specifically listed, but I did find Olingos versus Olinguitos, which were much more recently discovered. I’m making a wild guess here, but I’m relating Olinguitos to Teddycats (since that’s also what came up in an initial Google search on “Teddycat”).
Grab an atlas to booktalk this story! Explain where the Andes are, talk about some of the residents of the forest that they’ll encounter in the book, and use this opportunity to talk up conservation and preservation of our rain forests, our environment, and the folks we share this world with. Heck, show them the scene from the Spongebob Squarepants movie, when they discover Shell City, and see all the dried starfish and sea life that gets sold as souvenirs!
Talk about movies like Finding Nemo and Happy Feet, that also deal with human impact on the environment, and then talk about all the ways they can help make a difference. Whether it’s writing a letter to a politician, cleaning up after themselves, or being aware of the world around them, they count.
This is a solid animal adventure story with a message; animal fiction fans and kids that are on the lookout for environmentally conscious stories will love it.
Did Not Finish
August 14, 2016Good book for kids with an environmental message. Just not one of those kids books that will also appeal to adults, or at least not to this adult. DNF at page 118. Likely kids may enjoy it though.
July 5, 2017
This is one of those books that looks and sounds like it will be good but turned out being more on the "Oh, where did I put that durn book although who really cares." Maybe it is since of the fact that there are so much other similar books out there although with different creatures such as red deer, wolves and even the much older rats of NIMH.
What truly agitated me is the fact that we have a wealthy world that is full of beauty such as a rainforest but barely any mention is made of it. There are glimpses of trees, trees, stream and grassland. It is a world where it seems more or less that it is taking place in South America than all of a sudden they mention hippos. At the same time not only is the background lacking but so is any creativity in the world where the animals have quite common names - Luke, Bill, Big Bill, Omar. Really couldn't we culturally at least either have come up with something better?
The concept of people hunters being bad is redundant but I do have to give props to the fact that at the same time they tried to show that not all people are bad. It just really felt wrong, though, that for certain characters they chose to make it a fairytale to emphasize their points then shoved others down the killing chute to emphasize the other side.
Although it seemed to be an action-type book it was more like the reader trying to push and prod the story along just to try to find the gems that weren't there.
All in all it may be good for some young children to read but I would have an adult just check it out first. And second it is going to truly need to find the readers that it was meant to target to get itself out there to the reading masses or to vanish forever with some books that couldn't reach their true potential.
What truly agitated me is the fact that we have a wealthy world that is full of beauty such as a rainforest but barely any mention is made of it. There are glimpses of trees, trees, stream and grassland. It is a world where it seems more or less that it is taking place in South America than all of a sudden they mention hippos. At the same time not only is the background lacking but so is any creativity in the world where the animals have quite common names - Luke, Bill, Big Bill, Omar. Really couldn't we culturally at least either have come up with something better?
The concept of people hunters being bad is redundant but I do have to give props to the fact that at the same time they tried to show that not all people are bad. It just really felt wrong, though, that for certain characters they chose to make it a fairytale to emphasize their points then shoved others down the killing chute to emphasize the other side.
Although it seemed to be an action-type book it was more like the reader trying to push and prod the story along just to try to find the gems that weren't there.
All in all it may be good for some young children to read but I would have an adult just check it out first. And second it is going to truly need to find the readers that it was meant to target to get itself out there to the reading masses or to vanish forever with some books that couldn't reach their true potential.
May 19, 2020
An exciting tale!!!!
January 24, 2024
1. If you are a person that hates to end on a cliff hanger, make sure you have the sequel!
2. This book gives Fern Gulley vibes and I think this would be a wonderful follow up movie after finishing the book
3. It took me a solid 30 pages before I had my head wrapped around who was who. So the beginning is a bit slow to start as it lays out the land, characters and the rules of their kingdom. But once the action starts to kick up, you feel for the characters. That’s when I know I’m in deep.
4. This is a relatively easy read. I would say 4th grade at the earliest. There’s mention of a human who smokes cigarettes (although cigarettes is not used in the text, it is implied). There was one mention of hallucinogenic mushrooms as banter between two characters. But no detail or further explanation was given beyond the verbal exchange in dialog.
2. This book gives Fern Gulley vibes and I think this would be a wonderful follow up movie after finishing the book
3. It took me a solid 30 pages before I had my head wrapped around who was who. So the beginning is a bit slow to start as it lays out the land, characters and the rules of their kingdom. But once the action starts to kick up, you feel for the characters. That’s when I know I’m in deep.
4. This is a relatively easy read. I would say 4th grade at the earliest. There’s mention of a human who smokes cigarettes (although cigarettes is not used in the text, it is implied). There was one mention of hallucinogenic mushrooms as banter between two characters. But no detail or further explanation was given beyond the verbal exchange in dialog.
May 3, 2018
I've said it before and I'll say it again: You can't blame a MG/YA book for not working for an adult. This was a MG book, and while it was so simple that I couldn't enjoy it, I wasn't the target audience.
Set in the mountain rainforests of South America, the teddycats (a species of tree-dwelling animals) had names like Luke, Bill, Big Bill, Omar... WHY? If they're in South America, if they're animals, why have normal, human, North American names?
The story felt like it was actually about human kids, not animals -- I never once felt like the characters were animals. I strongly suspect young readers wouldn't have the issues I did -- the opposite, they might be able to better identify with the characters. DNF
Set in the mountain rainforests of South America, the teddycats (a species of tree-dwelling animals) had names like Luke, Bill, Big Bill, Omar... WHY? If they're in South America, if they're animals, why have normal, human, North American names?
The story felt like it was actually about human kids, not animals -- I never once felt like the characters were animals. I strongly suspect young readers wouldn't have the issues I did -- the opposite, they might be able to better identify with the characters. DNF
May 13, 2020
This is a great book! It definingly deserves more hype! It is a great book!
December 20, 2020
Got boring, skimmed last 4th
Want to Read
March 30, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
March 8, 2022
Very engaging and keeps you on your toes.
July 15, 2016
An excellent adventure tale geared at a middle grade readers but truly a fun read for older audiences as well. Vivid language quickly draws the reader into mysterious Cloud Kingdom and the expansive jungle below. Punchy dialogue between characters of different species, ages and life experiences brings both depth and humor to the tale. The plot takes twists and turns while presenting questions about risk-taking, loyalty, and cultural identity. Reading this book called to mind the movie FernGully, an old favorite of mine. Bonus for kids: lots of good vocabulary words!
August 17, 2016
Appeal to 4th graders. The main character name is Bill.....need I say more? Skip.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews