I’ve read a lot of Elmore Leonard’s crime fiction and Westerns, but I did not know he had written a children’s book. Just by blind luck, I stumbled over this book in a local thrift store. It had been misplaced with the adult hardcovers next to the Children’s Books section.
Elmore Leonard wrote A Coyote’s in the House (2004) for his grandchildren. Antwan is leader of his pack of coyotes who live in the hills of Hollywood. They love to feast on the food in the garbage cans outside the Hollywood mansions. In one of the mansions, a couple of dogs named Buddy and Miss Betty reside. Buddy starred in a number of movies, but he’s aging out of his role as Brave Dog. Miss Betty is a cute dog who wants more than preening out of Life.
Antwan finds himself approached by Buddy who wants to join the coyote pack in the wild. Antwan is skeptical of Buddy’s ability to keep up with coyotes. While Buddy wants to join the coyotes, Antwan decides to pass himself off as a dog named “Timmy” and enjoy the luxury of a domestic animal living with humans.
There’s also a subplot with Antwan and Miss Betty trying to restore Buddy’s fading movie career. If you’re an Elmore Leonard fan, prepare to be surprised by A Coyote’s in the House. GRADE: B
THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER meets THE CALLOF THE WILD on SUNSET BOULEVARD? I had no idea this book existed, either. The idea of Leonard writing a kids’ story takes some getting used to! Sounds like it may be more interesting than some of his later crime novels.
Fred, like you I preferred the early Elmore Leonard works than the later ones. This book was a surprise. If you can accept animals talking to one another, A COYOTE’S IN THE HOUSE is worth a look.
Leonard’s CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG…mis-filed/shelved rather than misspelled? I smell spel-korrecter.
Todd, animals interacting with other animals in L.A.–very different from the rest of Elmore Leonard’s oeuvre.
Your spell-corrector Misspelled “misplaced” for you in the opening of your review above…
Todd, thanks for the heads up! WORDPRESS mangles my words with its demonic Spellchecker every day! Drat!
Wow, never heard of it either. I am a big Leonard fan, but not sure I want to read this.
Jeff, A COYOTE’S IN THE HOUSE isn’t really a “Forgotten Book” it’s an “Undiscovered Book.” Like you, I had no idea it existed. It’s very different from anything I’ve read of Elmore Leonard.