Can you guess the animal?

An animal mystery 

What's your guess? Can you guess this literary (animal) character? April is animal month on Big Books and Bold Ideas, so I'm kicking things off with a diabolically challenging animal mystery. Immersed in a life-threatening ordeal, our lead character finds himself accompanied by this animal who will, in many ways, be his salvation.   The animal is both true to his nature and wise in exceptional ways. He will sustain our central character in the most difficult of times and deepen his sense of awe, resilience and determination. The novel in which this animal appears is a contemporary one, published to great acclaim in this century.   It is full of magic and allegory and adventurous feats and the tale seems both impossible and true, not unlike the gospels and stories at the center of the world's great religions. In fact, this novel explores ideas about faith and extremism and acceptance and the author told a journalist that he wanted to write about "a very difficult theme of religion without wanting to be, in any way, evangelical."   He added: "I find that we live in an age that is obsessed with facts and that reduces everything to a kind of objectivity. You can't just operate on facts. It's very diminishing of who we are." Is any of this giving you a hint as to which novel I'm talking about? OK, a couple more clues about the animal at the center of our literary mystery.  He is powerful, even threatening at times, but he depends on our character as much as our character depends on him.   And when a movie was made of this novel, the director required a real animal, four of them in all, and hundreds of artists who could give the digitized version human-like movements and expressions. So, can you name the animal, the novel and the author?  If you can, email me: kerri@mpr.org.  — Kerri Miller | MPR News Sponsor This week on The Thread Talking Volumes hits the road this spring We've all endured a long, snowy winter in Minnesota, so Minnesota Public Radio and The Star Tribune are celebrating with two esteemed Minnesota authors at two special Talking Volumes events this spring. First, on May 6, Kerri Miller will interview CatStronauts author Drew Brockington. Brockington's books about space-traveling cats and kittens are beloved by kids worldwide. Join us as he discusses the newest book in CatStronauts series, "Waffles and Pancake: Failure to Lunch." Kerri and, Drew will take the stage at the Dr. Charles H. Mayo Presentation Hall at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester at 2 p.m. on May 6. Get your tickets today. We head north to Duluth for our second spring Talking Volumes event. Kerri will interview William Kent Krueger at Mitchell Auditorium at the College of St. Scholastica. Krueger has just published a new novella, "The Levee," which he will discuss alongside his long, Minnesota-based backlist of great novels on May 18 at 7 p.m. Get your tickets today. Ask a Bookseller: A picture book that makes busy moms feel seen Ashley Valentine is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Rooted MKE, her children's bookstore and academic support center in Milwaukee, Wis., and she's done it while caring for her two children under age 5. She singled out the picture book "You Be Mommy" as one where she sees her own journey reflected. Diana Abu-Jaber on family myths and inheritance For immigrants who have to start life over in a new land, home carries a powerful lure. Diana Abu-Jaber says questions of identity and displacement haunted her Jordanian father, which inspired her latest novel, "Fencing with the King." Jeannette Walls' 'Hang the Moon' transports readers to Prohibition Walls' excellent construction of her female characters is most satisfying; each represents women from varying walks of life, each fighting for their own place in a male-dominated world. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe today! Preference Center ❘ Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Minnesota Public Radio 480 Cedar Street Saint Paul, MN, 55101