NEW RELEASE
Cheeky Monkeys: The True Story Behind the Award-Winning Picture
Cheeky Monkeys: The True Story Behind the Award-Winning Picture
by Susanna Ivy
I am proud to announce the release of Susanna Ivy's latest book, Cheeky Monkeys. I did an initial edit of this short book, as English is not Susanna's native tongue. I wasn't involved in the final edit, so I take no responsibility for any errors present. It's great to see the words now illustrated with Susanna's marvelous photos.
Description
Whilst traveling the world you will see the greatest monuments ever built, meet the most interesting people you will ever met, and be amazed at the most pristine nature and wildlife our world has to offer.
Susanna Ivy captured numerous of these "magic moments" with the help of her camera during her travels. Her photos are real and alive. The reader feels like they went with her through the most remote and exotic places far beyond the life most people know.
But sometimes there are moments that capture your heart. Meeting Dorita, a handicapped orphan monkey, was one these life-changing moments. Susanna describes it as the moment she "fell in love with monkeys". Seeing this little helpless creature, a former pet living in a sanctuary and dependent on human kindness for the rest of her life, made Susanna want to help.
In Cheeky Monkeys she writes about the experiences she had and why it is not a good idea to support the pet trade.
This book contains over 30 beautifully crafted photo collages, well worth seeing. It is suitable for adults, children, and all animal lovers.
Book Trailer
Excerpt
Excerpt
All of the monkeys seemed to have fun out there. I realized that, being used to such a life of freely bouncing between high trees, a monkey could never be happy imprisoned in a cage. It was bliss watching them interact with each other, jumping through the trees and climbing the treetops. These animals had everything they needed. But it had not always been like this for them.
After observing them closely, I noticed that one of the squirrel monkeys had lost an arm. I later found out this was as a result of being caught in a poacher's trap put out to catch all sorts of creatures, but especially monkeys, for bush meat. The bush meat trade is a big problem around the world, especially for monkeys. Most Latin American countries are very poor. Bush meat means extra protein or extra money for the poachers' families. So people go out and hunt these monkeys. In so doing, they don't care about what they catch, whether they are endangered, or if the monkey has a baby. This squirrel monkey was lucky because he was rescued and now lives a happy life in the sanctuary amongst his own kind. Most trapped monkeys aren't so lucky.
Even Dorita was not an average monkey - she seemed somehow odd despite her cuteness. I examined her closely and noticed that she had deformed extremities. She might also have been a little simple compared to the other monkeys, except for her little buddy Pinguino, who seemed to be suffering from the same disease. The crippled extremities made them walk slower than the other monkeys, leaving them to depend on human kindness and help. These two could never live on their own again.
Review
By Joel
The book has some amazing photos and it's no surprise since the author is an award winning photographer. It gives a detailed look at the realities that face the species but it also gives a heartfelt view of the beauty that the author shares with us in intimate descriptions of her travels. I found a kinship to Jane Goodall, no doubt an influence in her work but the author is more Steve Irwin in the whimsical styling of her adventure. Well worth the price, in fact I'd say undervalued. So I am happy to write to the potential reader, get this one, you'll love it!
About the Author
Susanna Ivy grew up in East Berlin, Germany, behind the wall. She obtained a degree in Graphic Design and an MA in Cultural Studies and Art History. She is a passionate photographer and traveler. She loves scuba diving all over the world. But her biggest love is for the animals. That is why she tries to inspire and educate people around the world to protect them for future generations. At the moment, she works as a freelance photographer, designer and author.
So far, Susanna has travelled to 30 countries and has taken thousands of photos. In 2010 she won an international competition and was able to fulfill her childhood dream and travel to the Galapagos Islands. The result of that trip was her photographic essay, Galapagos Dreams: A Photo Journey. In her capacity as graphic artist, Susanna has designed the covers of numerous books. These can be seen in Book Cover: Selected. This book was followed by World Ocean Day 2012. Her newest book, Cheeky Monkeys, has just been released.
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