Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon

This is a delightful narrative, written in the beautiful language of the early 20th century, which gives readers a glimpse into the incredible personalities of pigeons, and the heroic deeds they've done for centuries on the battlefields of the world. Definitely tugs hard on the heart-strings!

Gay-Neck: The Story of a pigeon literally is the life of a pigeon, but what makes it different from other animal stories is that it's so thrillingly told you can't put it down. At first, it talks about Gay-Neck's birth and training less thrillingly, but when you get to Gay-Neck's first experience against a hawk, you'll want to know what happens next, and soon you get so engrossed in it you'll actually fell Gay-Neck's experience like when he was shot and when he was healed by the lama's wisdom (the lamas are Buddhist monks in India). Now, when I first looked at a picture of the book on a poster, my eye caught the author's name, Dhan Gopal Mukerji, and I was thrilled. Why? Because that name was an Indian name and my heritage came from India. But enough of that. Gay-Neck's story had been told so movingly that you'll never forget some of Gay-Neck's adventures. Read this book, which has been weaved together so beautifully you can't help but like it.

This is the highest quality of writing that I have seen to date in a children's book. I have been talking to my older son about using "10 cent words" in his writing as opposed to "1 cent" words. After reading this book he was inspired to use his words to paint a picture for his readers instead of just telling them what happened. He wanted his readers to experience what he was trying to convey as he had experienced what Dhan Gopal Mukerji had written. His writing has improved 150%. Not only does Dhan Gopal Murkerji not write down to young readers; he also does not shy away from tackling complex life issues in his books. We enjoyed the discussions that were sparked in the course of its reading. Both of my sons really enjoyed this story and we look forward to reading another one of his books.

Being a bird lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was a little far-fetched, which added to the romance. There was adventure, some excitement, and wonderful insights on bird and animal behavior given by way of the yarn. The author uses English in such an artistic manner that you aren't aware that he wrote especially for young readers. He gives a wonderful perspective on the Great War and life as he knew it as a boy in India. A slant you don't get from history books or tourists. I finished the book with a sense of wishing I had known the author. Now I am going to order the other books he wrote!