Synopsis:The Thwarting of Mr. Dingsnapple

My name is Linda Anderson. I was a zookeeper for about ten years in Alabama. I wrote a children’s novel based on many of the animals I cared for. It is called The Thwarting of Mr. Dingsnapple.

In this story a young Toulouse goose named Sweetie is thrilled at the prospect of hatching her first clutch of eggs. To her horror, she discovers that the zookeeper has taken her first four eggs and is walking away with them. She chases after him, honking and flapping, trying to tell him he’s made a terrible mistake.  But all Mr. Dingsnapple hears is the honking of a goose. He goes to the office and slams the door in her face.

Devastated, Sweetie crumples into a heap on the porch and weeps. Her best friends, a pygmy goat, a white-tailed deer, and another goose all decide to help her hide her nest until her eggs hatch. 

In the mean time, a pair of snotty African geese feel that Sweetie is a disgrace because she has no dignity.  They decide that Mr. Dingsnapple might reward them if they show him where her nest is hidden.  

Her friends must now run interference between the zookeeper, Cleopatra, and Tut until Sweetie’s new clutch of eggs hatch.

On the surface, The Thwarting of Mr. Dingsnapple is the struggle between Sweetie and Mr. Dingsnapple and their interactions with other animals in the zoo.  In reality, it is a forum for mother love, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, and overcoming incredible odds.

        In this story you will find real animals with real issues and real emotions.  You will not find animals wearing clothing, living in houses, or using furniture.

        If you appreciated the well-developed characters, believable dialogue, and suspense in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web or Avi’s Poppy, you will appreciate The Thwarting of Mr. Dingsnapple.