Hoping for Hephzibah: Hairy Hezekiah by Dick King-Smith

Dick King-Smith, the noted English author, whose popular children's novels Babe: The Gallant Pig (Babe) and The Water Horse were transformed into very popular movies, obviously has a penchant for animal stories. In his latest tale, Hairy Hezekiah King-Smith turns to an only slightly less exotic creature than hunting pigs or Nessie monsters--a gentle but adventurous Bactrian camel.

Hezekiah is halfway happy with his habitat at the zoo. The hay appears regularly, and the zoo-goers are appreciative, but being a rare animal, Hezekiah is the only Bactrian camel in his paddock, and he longs for someone to talk to during his long days. So when he happens to notice how the zookeeper closes his gate, he figures his big rubbery lips are good for something besides scarfing up grass. And he's right--and one early morning Hezekiah unlatches the gate and strolls right out of the zoo while the keepers are busy setting up for the day.

Hezekiah wanders cheerfully through a nearby park, hiding in handy groves of trees by night and quizzing amazed Holstein cows about where he should go.

The cows looked at one another. They they looked again at the large, dark, hairy, humped figure of the camel. Then one cow came closer to Hezekiah and said, "You're in luck, my friend. There's a place not far from 'ere where they do keep all kind of curious critters. That's where you do want to go, I reckon."

"Oh," said Hezekiah. "What is this place?"

The cow replied, "'Tis the safari park."

Hezekiah proceeds in the direction indicated, leaving a bumbling trail of downed fences and broken gates in his wake, until he finally strolls into the hospitable estate of the Earl of Basin, who presides over the Shortseat Safari Park. Lord Basin, who recalls a memorable ride between the humps of a Bactrian camel in his youth, is delighted to receive his new tenant and Hezekiah kindly returns the favor by allowing the Earl to mount and ride him at his leisure. When Lord Basin accommodatingly swaps his extra silvertip gorilla for a female Bactrian, whom he appropriately names Hephzibah, Hezekiah has finally found a friend who speaks his language.

"Hello," she said to him. "I'm Hephzibah. Who are you?"

"I'm Hezekiah," said Hezekiah, and they moved toward each other till their rubbery lips met in a kind of kiss.

"Love at first sight!" said the Earl of Basin to the ranger. "I do like happy endings!"

Don't you?

King-Smith's jolly British humor and Nick Bruel's droll pen-and-ink drawings make this the perfect light reading for beginning chapter readers. And who knows? A Bactrian love story may someday be playing at a Cineplex near you.