Forester: For the Wilderness in All of Us

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

Forester is a curious little book aimed at young adults. It’s the
story of a bear disturbed from his winter’s rest by the new highway,
the Ribbon of Darkness. Forester, the bear in question, tries to rally
the other forest creatures to get rid of the highway and its
denizens—the “headless turtles” (vehicles) and their
“parasites” (humans)—and to restore the woods to their former
peace. Noble aims get lost in the complexities of communication among
diverse perspectives and values. Forester’s great plan dissolves and
out of its ruin the bear begins a journey of self-discovery and
understanding. “Differences are opportunities. Opportunities to
discover.” He stretches to appreciate, first, his friends and
neighbours and, ultimately, the “parasites”—“Us’s trapped in
cages.”

The numerous photos are beautiful and suggestive of the peace Forester
is seeking; they are less illustration than periodic glimpses of the
beauty in the woods and of the story. The dialogue is simple and direct,
except when the animals try to explain their value systems to each
other. There it is appropriately obscure and tautological.

I admit a strong prejudice against anthropomorphism: the presentation
of animal characters as if they were human. Children and young adults
are bombarded by images and stories of animal-humans. This is not the
problem in itself. We need to restore the balance by offering an equal
number of images and stories where animals are themselves, even if we
must get better at learning what that means.

On the other hand, I appreciate anyone who can write so humorously and
accurately about the struggle of getting individuals together to work
for a common cause. As Forester discovers, engaging diversity is a
learning experience with unexpected insights into the connectedness of
all things.

This is a book to be shared and read more than once. Many of its
insights continue to grow after the first reading. In spite of my stated
prejudice, I will be offering it to my friends, both young adult and
adult. Recommended.