Gynn

Pauline Carey is an actor, playwright and librettist and author of the
children’s books Magic and What’s in a Name?

Gynn is a guinea pig who is brought into the house of nine-year-old Robby because Robby has said that a guinea pig is what he wants most in the world. But it turns out that Robby would rather play with his computer than take care of a guinea pig. So Gynn is adopted by another family, who look after him and build him his own little house and let him run in the garden in the summertime.

Gynn leads a happy life, but then one day he dies. And the family who cared for him discover that there is still pleasure to be had from remembering someone they loved.

There is a serenity in this book. The illustrations (black and white and green, pen and ink and brush) are expressive and graceful, and the story is told with simplicity. It provokes some thought about the responsibilities of owning a pet and deals gently with the subject of death.