Willard Price books

I had completely forgotten about this series of books. Now I've had my memory jogged, I can vaguely recall reading - and enjoying - several titles when I was young, but annoyingly I can't remember anything about them.

 

I've just finished reading Leopard Adventure with my children, and I have to say that it was very good indeed. Towards the end, as the tension mounted, my two middle daughters (aged 9 and 7) were literally squealing with excitement.

While there was some Willard-style absurdity, this one is a little bit more believable (but still in the realms of the fantastical). The animal stuff is relatively right - and, pleasingly, there is a family of giant forest hogs on the Hunt farm in New York state. Good strong female character. Some quite amusing Russian stereotypes. Good action. Sensible conservation message. As children's books go, it's very good. Lots of Willard tropes sneak in, as well: I was delighted to see heavy reliance on a tranquilliser gun, but, sadly, no punches in the solar plexus.

Hal makes a brief appearance; Roger is lost, somewhere (the two brothers have apparently fallen out at some stage). Best of all - there is a return for the excellent Merlin Kaggs!

 

I have just finished reading (with my children!) the 4th of the updated "Adventure" books - after Leopard, Bear and Shark it was the turn for "Python Adventure".

The verdict of my son was "this is simply preposterous!", although his sisters were more forgiving of the narrative twist that saw Amazon and Frazer (Hal and Roger's children) rescued (from Merlin Kaggs!) by.... a herd of regenerated mammoths.

I think "romp" would be the right word for the story - pretty good stuff, but frankly absurd - and an absence of zoos, too (animals are being saved, rather than captured for zoos....).

 

What a wonderful thread! I was another avid reader of these books. If I had to choose, I think Cannibal Adventure would be my favourite (didn’t they accidentally bury the chief alive?), but the tent scene in Lion Adventure has to be the best moment. (“Hal, stop snoring.” “You can talk, Roger.” The snoring continued…) In retrospect, though, I think Hal’s views on “the natives” probably belong in the comments section of the Daily Mail website, and Roger always struck me as an insolent *****. Who doesn’t know tigers can swim?!

PS. Perhaps my proudest childhood moment was guessing the Judge was Blackbeard in Safari Adventure.

PSS. I still don’t know what a solar plexus is.

 

The solar plexus is a network of nerves in the abdomen behind the stomach. Often used by authors as a simile, eg. "I was so devastated it felt as if I had been hit in the solar plexus."

 

And he did, and I (starter of the thread) was there!

Only just noticed this

 

Yes, we did!



And I'd downloaded a Kindle version of Gorilla Adventure to my laptop before we arrived, and I was reading a chapter each evening.



Hix