A Coyote's in the House

Rating:
Summary: A HOWLING GOOD READING
Review:

We'll just have to face it - some writers are so deft that they can switch genres as easily as changing jackets. That seems to be the case with Elmore Leonard who after winning legions of adult fans has now set about capturing the younger generation. He'll probably do it with "A Coyote's In The House, a delicious animal fable set in Hollywood.

It's not easy being the voice of animals but performer Neil Patrick Harris is superb as listeners hear the story of Buddy, a past his prime German shepherd movie star; Antwan, a lone coyote who's always been down on his luck; and the gorgeous Miss Betty, a pulchritudinous poodle.

Late one evening Antwan is poking among tempting garbage in the Hollywood Hills. Surely he'll find a more than appetizing meal there. Instead, he meets Buddy. A little bit bored and discouraged Buddy thinks it would be exciting to live as Antwan does, so why don't the two switch places? Well, Antwan has never been a cosseted coyote, so that sounds like a good deal to him. The rub is in passing Antwan off as a dog. But, it works.

You know the old saying about the grass always looking greener - Buddy soon decides that he misses his family, and he sure doesn't like not having any attention at all.

Leave it to Leonard to come up with a satisfying conclusion for all. Listen, laugh, and enjoy.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: A HIP, JAZZY KIND OF COYOTE
Review: Antwan, a coyote, notices Buddy, a German Shepard, in a fancy yard, in the Hollywood Hills. Buddy calls to Antwan, invites him in the house. Buddy wants to trade lives with Antwan. He wants Antwan to live in his house while he runs with the gang (pack). When the family comes home, the young, snippety daughter discovers Antwan in the house. She yells, "There's a coyote in the house!" Antwan escapes, but later returns as "Timmy." The family adopts Timmy (Antwan). While living with them, Antwan comes to understand dogs and cats, but isn't sure he will ever like their masters.

The females in the storyline are Miss Betty, the poodle princess, Lola, the movie star cat, and Romana, Antwan's sister. They get in the act when Miss Betty decides she doesn't like Buddy being depressed. She wants him to feel like the hero he played in the movies. She creates a plan involving Lola. (Lola steals the show during this thread of the storyline.)

Elmore Leonard shares the tale of a wild coyote who swears never to be tamed. He likes running with his gang. The story begins with Antwan talking to his gang, about the various dogs and their backgrounds. Antwan, Buddy, and the rest experience various adventures. There are fun and of course gross moments. Kids will love it.

Actor Neil Patrick Harris narrates A Coyote's in the House. He brings out the hip, jazzy personality of Antwan and the older, wiser tone of Buddy. But it's with Miss Betty and Lola that Harris seems to have the most fun. I have to say, Lola is my favorite

Rating:
Summary: 4 Howls for a Fun Coyote
Review: Elmore Leonard's A Coyote's in the House is a fun read and I recommend it for folks both young and old with one small reservation. Thinking about the book with my adult analytical mind disengaged, I found the story of Antwan the coyote, Buddy the movie star dog, and Miss Betty the show poodle to be a fun fast read. The story takes place in the Hollywood Hills where Antwan the coyote lives in the hills and Buddy the movie star dog lives in the house his family bought using the money Buddy made in the movies. Antwan and Buddy become friends and through the course of the story go through a series of adventures and switch rolls. My usual dislike of anthropomorphized animals did not wreck my enjoyment of this story. Now my reservation [adult analytical mind reengaged] - I found that Leonard's choice of names for the characters and use of urban dialect [inconsistently] for certain characters raised my stereotype hackles. When Leonard uses broad stereotypes in his adult novels, the audience is adult and sophisticated enough to get the point. It concerns me that a slightly less sophisticated young reader might get the wrong message from the characters in A Coyote in the House. I recommend that if you are an adult thinking of getting a copy of A Coyote's in the House for a young reader, scan a copy first to see whether you feel my reservation might be valid. Better yet, read it, enjoy it, and then decide whether to hand it down to the young reader.

Rating:
Summary: A cool classic that will transform non-readers into readers
Review: I started reading adult novels when I was about 10 or 11 with authors who were very popular at the time. I didn't realize until I was much older that most of them couldn't write for beans. So until I was 18, I didn't read nearly as much as I might have. But at 18 I read Glitz by Elmore Leonard, who showed me how cool the written word could be.

A Coyote's in the House, Leonard's first children's novel, ought to be required reading in classrooms everywhere. Kids are subjected to so much lame, stilted, uninteresting reading material it ought to be a crime. This book reads like Technicolor in that black-and-white world. It will inspire kids to read more. Adults will love it too. There's simply nothing like it.

The story features Antwan, a coyote living wild in the Hollywood Hills; Buddy, a German shepherd that formerly starred in movies; and Miss Betty, a poodle living with the family that also owns Buddy. Antwan and Buddy run into one another one day, and a plan is eventually hatched for each to see how the other half lives. Can Buddy run with the pack? Can Antwan "pass" as a dog? The social commentary lying beneath this fanciful storyline shines through constantly. If it doesn't bring a smile to your face, you're a statue.

Early on, Antwan and his little coyote sister, Ramona, are hiding in the bushes overlooking a dog park, where owners are walking their pets. Antwan is explaining the way of the world to her.

"Here comes a working dog, a Border collie," Antwan said, "only he's out of work. Rides around Hollywood in his owner's car looking for sheep to herd."

"I know what collies look like," Ramona said. "They have that long, pointy face."

"Other dogs do, too," Antwan said. "Your borzois, your Afghan hounds ... What's that white one coming?"

"A greyhound?"

"You're close, but it's a saluki."

"What's it do?"

"Lays around the house thinking it's somebody."

Later, Antwan gets invited inside the house with Buddy and immediately scarfs down a plateful of cookies on the table. He thinks there must be something wrong with the dog:

(Antwan) said, "Homes, can't you smell?"

"Of course I can smell."

"You know cookies are sitting here and you don't eat none?"

"We're not allowed cookies," the big German dog said, sounding like a wimp. He turned his head to point to two dog dishes sitting on the floor, each with a name on it. Buddy on one, Miss Betty on the other.

Antwan said, "Which one's yours, homes?"

Ultimately, the plot centers around efforts to make Buddy feel like a hero again, like he was in the movies. Leonard peppers enough excitement into the 149-page novel to keep young readers plenty interested, and enough observations, allusions and commentary on social strata and the Hollywood movie industry to please adults. A book that can be read on many levels, A Coyote's in the House deserves the widest possible audience.


Rating:
Summary: Someone please do this as an animated film!
Review: Read this charming little book while spending a lazy afternoon on the beach. "A Coyote's in the House" is exactly what you'd expect Elmore Leonard's first children's novel to be- Funny, engaging, and as hip as his best adult books. I loved how Antwan was both lovable and a little dangerous, like all of Leonard's best characters. Picture Chili Palmer as a Hollywood Hills Coyote and you'll be pretty much on the mark.
This will make an excellent animated film (take notice, Disney!)- one that, like "Shrek", will delight adults as much as kids. One star off for the brief toilet humor, which wasn't necessary....