Gurikku no bōken

In this animal fantasy, Glick, a Japanese squirrel raised by humans, sets out for a forest far to the north after hearing from Pippō the carrier pigeon that his fellow squirrels live there. In “Part 1,” the first half of the book, Glick is seen off by his older sister Flack, who lived in the human house with him; meets the brown rat Ganba and his friends; is drawn into a battle with the black rats; and becomes determined once more to complete his own journey. The time Glick spends in a safe but confining cage and the crowded city streets are meticulously depicted, conveying his growing yearning for freedom and adventure.

    In “Part 2,” the book’s second half, Glick meets another squirrel called Non-Non at the zoo. Together they run “North! Straight north!”, and their adventure unfolds with thrill after thrill. Passing through fields and over hills, they are attacked by cats and buzzards, and even caught up in a typhoon. They hop aboard a boat on the river and drift for days. And when they are crossing the already-snowy mountains, they are caught in a blizzard and feel a deadly urge to sleep. However, Non-Non’s powerful desire to return to her mother’s place of origin and the encouragement the two offer each other allow them to keep pushing north—no matter what injuries they suffer or how soaked they get—conveying to the reader a sense of boundless vital energy. The illustrations add further energy to the story with realistic depictions of ever-changing landscapes and anthropomorphic animals.

    This book was followed by two sequels starring Ganba the brown rat: Bōkenshatachi [The Adventurers] and Ganba to kawauso no bōken [The Adventure of Ganba and the River Otters]. Together, the books are a fondly regarded trilogy. (OM)