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A review by mat_tobin
The Griffin and the Minor Canon by Frank R. Stockton
4.0
I enjoyed this book but found myself enjoying [b:The Bee-Man of Orn|1229029|The Bee-Man of Orn|Frank R. Stockton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320499380s/1229029.jpg|1217577] more. As with The Bee-Man, Stockton has written a modern fairy tale of sorts and I have found his work reminding me a lot of Baum's [b:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|236093|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)|L. Frank Baum|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398003737s/236093.jpg|1993810] . Here, the relationship between fantastical creatures and humans often sees a role reversal in who truthfully display the more humane disposition.
The story tells us of the last griffin who, upon finding out that the local cathedral has a stone statue of his likeness, descends on the town only to be confronted by the Minor Canon who has been forced by the people to deter the griffin and send him on his way. Through one thing and another, an unlikely - and rather one-sided - friendship is forged and the griffin decides to stay and assist the Minor Canon in his duties. With it not being in his nature to be cruel or horrible to anyone, the Canon endures this but as the seasons pass, the time for the Griffin to eat looms...
The Griffin and the Minor Canon is a wonderful little parable of intolerance. The townspeople are quick to spurn those those who do not fit it whether because of how they look differently or for the fact that they challenge their ideas: quite a fitting text for today's classroom.
I cannot end my review by not mentioning Sendak's illustrations of course. These illustrations precede Where the Wild Things Are and it is interesting to see how joyously he plays with the image of the large and, potentially scary Griffin, being around children - a precursor to Max and his Wild Things, certainly.
The story tells us of the last griffin who, upon finding out that the local cathedral has a stone statue of his likeness, descends on the town only to be confronted by the Minor Canon who has been forced by the people to deter the griffin and send him on his way. Through one thing and another, an unlikely - and rather one-sided - friendship is forged and the griffin decides to stay and assist the Minor Canon in his duties. With it not being in his nature to be cruel or horrible to anyone, the Canon endures this but as the seasons pass, the time for the Griffin to eat looms...
The Griffin and the Minor Canon is a wonderful little parable of intolerance. The townspeople are quick to spurn those those who do not fit it whether because of how they look differently or for the fact that they challenge their ideas: quite a fitting text for today's classroom.
I cannot end my review by not mentioning Sendak's illustrations of course. These illustrations precede Where the Wild Things Are and it is interesting to see how joyously he plays with the image of the large and, potentially scary Griffin, being around children - a precursor to Max and his Wild Things, certainly.