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"A Very Serious Review" - Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger

Welcome to Happy Zoo

'Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger' - Benji Davis 


Ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages, welcome to the Art of Caesura!

Today I have a post that is very different from any that I've written before in the four and a half years of this blog's existence. As a new dad and past English Major, I thought it would be fun to flex both muscles and undertake a proper literary analysis of a children's book. Today we shall endeavour on a close reading of "Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger"



Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger 
(sic - lacking a colon in the title)

book review


There is something wildly dystopian about a world where anthropomorphized animals cage other animals for their own viewing pleasure.  It hearkens back to the Victorian Era, of places like Bedlam and the sideshows where, for entertainment, people would go to leer at other people caged either by physical bars or by social mores. Such is the setting in which we find ourselves in "Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger".

Created by Benji Davies and published by Nosy Crow in 2014, Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger is one of 19 books in the Bizzy Bear series. Although this is the only one in the series that I have consumed (figuratively speaking - though literally in the case of my daughter), it becomes readily apparent that the series is non-sequential and follows the titular bear on his industrious exploits both fantastical (in the case of "Bizzy Bear Knights' Castle") and mundane (e.g. "Bizzy Bear Let's Get to Work").

Interestingly, the book we are currently scrutinizing appears to be the only one in the series that has been published under multiple titles. The Penguin and Random House Books website lists the title as "Bizzy Bear Zookeeper" whereas the Nosy Crow website lists it under the edition that I own "Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger". It is unclear which came first: the keeper or the ranger, but it is clear which one is correct. A zookeeper is ostensibly the role that Bizzy Bear enacts in this book: one who feeds and cares for the animals in a zoo. A zoo ranger is one who heightens guests' experiences with educational talks, shows etc. - tasks that do not appear to be in Mr. Bear's remit in this book. 

Digging deeper into the etymology of the two words, "ranger" arises from an Anglo-Saxon word (via French and ancient German) which related to "one (often mounted) who polices an area" (Etymology Online). While this is not what Mr. Bear appears to be doing in this book (perhaps he is undercover) it does speak to the more Orwellian undertones which we touched on in the introduction. So "Zoo Ranger", while less literally accurate, is more conceptually interesting, and because it is the edition that I have to hand, it is the nomenclature to which we shall adhere. 


book review

The art, while incredibly charming, can, at first, be jarring in terms of perspective. Pages 3-4 and 7-8 each showcase two-page continuous spreads, while the other pages contain one splash page each. Such variation in form serves to compress the action, allowing the author to fit more of Bizzy's zooish duties into the tale - furthering the harried pun on Bizzy's name. The inconsistencies in form (some pages being splashes, others being two-page spreads) could have impacted pacing - decompressing the story-telling as we regard the two-page crocodile for example, but this potential decompression is not realized due to the strong rhythmic pacing which we shall now explore. 

In the English language we are more accustomed to iambic metres because an unswept, dingy corner of our brains remembers learning them in high school Shakespeare. This book, however employs a spondaic trimeter (although one could make an argument that the "Bizzy" commencing each line is, in fact, a trochee). This metre involves stresses, or emphasis, on each syllable rather than alternating "unstressed, stressed" (iambs) or "stressed, unstressed" (trochees). Such a strong metre converts normal expression to more of a dramatic form as the first person narrator decries their observation of Mr. Bear "I see you". The combination of the spondaic meter and a rhyming scheme ensure that the story keeps moving along at a regular pace despite the afore mentioned irregularities in page layout.

I touched on theme and content in the introduction of this piece. The plot revolves around Bizzy Bear (who is indeed a busy bear) venturing around Happy Zoo "caring for" the various captive animals. I labour on "caring for" because his custodial abilities are brought into question (though not by the narrator) when he is seen feeding penguins literal garbage. Bewilderingly, (though in keeping with the human vis-a-vis in Bedlam and sideshows), there appears to be no rhyme or reason as to which animals are kept in captivity and which are elevated to the status of zoo patron. Visually, in the case of the patron animals, they are typically bipedal and are clothed (which appear to be the signs of higher sentience). But more disturbing still is that certain animals (a penguin and meerkat for example) take on the role of both the gazer (zoo-goer) and the gazed-upon (captive animal) at various points of the book.

Seemingly a hallmark of the Bizzy Bear series are the ingenious cardboard tabs built into the book to be pushed, pulled, turned and levered - heightening the sense of whimsy as the pictures come to life before the readers' eyes. Watching my daughter grasp the relevant concepts and squeal with joy as she manipulated the tabs was truly a delight for both of us. 


book review

Despite its dark thematic undertones, "Bizzy Bear Zoo Ranger" has entered the coveted position of regular bedtime reading in our household. Having read it to my daughter over 50 times at this stage, her enthusiasm for this hard-working ursine character has not abated, and I must admit, neither has mine! 


-~-

I will leave you, gentle reader, with a shining testimonial from my wife after reading the above review: 


"I don't know if I just got smarter or dumber"

-~-


And with that, I'll see you next week for a monumental post on The Art of Caesura!


Reading: The Guest List - Lisa Foley
Listening: Crystalised - The xx


Next Week:

One whole spin around the sun!

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