Cappy the Lonely Camel

Offering a lackluster variation on a well-worn theme, Rubinetti's tale is obvious from the start. Orphaned Cappy, shorter and hairier than all the other camels in his Southwest Asian village, has yet another cross to bear: unlike his peers, he has two humps. No other camel will play with him or talk to him save to taunt, making him one lonely camel. When the others refuse to listen to his explanation that many two-humped camels live in the north, where he was born, Cappy resigns himself to his solitary state. The scenario becomes all the more dismal when his only relative dies, leaving him totally alone. But then the baby of his principal tormentor, Nastella, becomes ill and Cappy is the only animal that can endure the bitter cold and survive the trip north to fetch the doctor, whom he then transports, nestled between his humps. Cappy saves the day in an ending that will surprise not even the youngest listener. Tears flow from all camel eyes as Nastella makes nice, as do the other animals, begging forgiveness and pledging friendship. Guida's art, while rendered in pleasing desert-sunrise colors, lacks the variety and imaginative vision that might have energized this tale. Ages 6-8. (July)