"Magical animals and their habitats" - another work that came from the pen of J. Rowling. What does it say, why is the name of Newton Scamander on the cover, and what does the book have to do with the world of Harry Potter? About all this and not only - below.
About the work
The book “Magical animals and their habitats” was a response to the proposal of the Comic Relief charitable organization “to write something in the name of good”. The release date in England is 2001, but in Russia only appeared in 2009 in the translation of M. Spivak. 80% of the proceeds from the sale of the book went to charity to help children.
Who is the author?
She wrote a book by J. Rowling, but not so simple. On the cover you can see a completely different name. Thus, “Magical animals and their habitats” is a book created by Newt Salamander. In fact, this is a fictional character who is attributed to the authorship of the work. His biography is presented at the very beginning. From it you can learn that Newt was born in 1897, entered Hogwarts, but did not graduate from it. He was passionate about magical zoology, especially the section on animals. He was later hired by the Ministry of Magic, where he was responsible for counting populations of house elves, and in 1947 created a register of werewolves. For his work he was awarded the Order of Merlin.
At the time of writing, Newt had already retired and settled in Dorset with his family.
Link to Harry Potter Books
“Magical animals and their habitats” is a textbook on the care of magical creatures. One of the most creepy and dangerous books that Hogwarts students had to learn from. She attacks anyone who will not treat her properly.
This book first appeared on the pages of the third part about the adventures of Harry Potter "The Prisoner of Azkaban." Hagrid recommended her as a teacher for the Care of magical creatures. Harry accidentally opened it in the Leaky Cauldron, after which he had to pretty long catch the textbook on live bait. Only in the first lesson did Hagrid explain how to handle the book correctly, although this did not save some students.
Content
The textbook Magic Animals and Their Habitats, which is proposed to be read, is the very copy that once belonged to Harry. Therefore, here you can find the notes of the owner, as well as Ron and Hermione. Also, friends correspond on the pages of the textbook, play tic-tac-toe, make fun of each other.
As for the content of the textbook, it examines the whole history of magical zoology. Then key concepts are defined, differences are indicated, magical animals are classified and 75 of the various species are described. There are separate chapters devoted to what the Muggles know about magical animals, as well as how to hide such a beast, if such a need arises. The information provided was collected by Salamander himself over many years of travel and observation around the world. The introduction to the publication was personally written by Albus Dumbledore.
Film adaptation
The work "Magical animals and their habitats" was recently filmed. The director of the film was David Yates, already participated in the creation of films about Harry Potter. The premiere took place in 2016.
The action takes place 65 years before the start of the original saga. The main character was the author of the book Newt Salamander. In the courtyard of 1926, at that time the zoologist was still young, before writing the textbook for many more years, and now he is just beginning to deal with his classification of magic animals. The scientist arrives in New York, with him his magical suitcase, where some dangerous magical animals are locked together with their habitat. At random, the creatures are free. This jeopardizes both the safety of others, but it can also cause the Muggles to learn about the existence of magic.
In general, the film was highly praised by fans.
“Fantastic animals and their habitats”: reviews
All who read the book agree that it is intended for fans of the Harry Potter series, or at least those who are familiar with it. A reader who does not know anything about the magical world of Rowling will not be able to understand the work and get real pleasure from reading it.
It is noted that the book was written in easy language, quickly read and filled with English humor.