A Story of Magic in 5 Acts: Light Verse on a Heavy Subject
February 28, 2022
Yolen (Eeny Up Above) writes in an afterword of learning about a Broadway producer who bought an elephant, orphaned in Zimbabwe in 1982, and built a circus around it (“Because I have always wanted an elephant,” reads a quote). This variation on that story, told in five acts, unfolds in solitary, rhyming “ele” words, each painted in circus-style lettering. The tale starts with dismaying scenes as a baby elephant wanders away from its herd and toward a trap filled with bananas (“Eleph-ate”), then is captured (“Ele-vated// Ele-fate”) and trundled onto an airplane (“Ele-fastened// Ele-bound// Ele-flown”) by a tan-skinned trapper. On the journey’s other side, Helquist (Just Being Dalí) reassures readers about the elephant’s subsequent quality of life in dapper gouache spreads that show a tall, kindly white-skinned magician who kneels and pats the elephant (“Ele-found”). Inset panels show their growing relationship as the magician bottle-feeds the baby and teaches it circus tricks. Pretty soon, the two are performing together, and spreads show the aging duo’s routine, which involves painting and washing the creature. After years of tours that, per images of posters, cross the U.S., the magician sees that the elephant has had enough, arranges a showy farewell, and finds it a sanctuary with other elephants. If the “ele” conceit at times feels at odds with the story’s subject matter, including elephant trade and exploitation, the artwork successfully centers a magician’s love for a creature in this nostalgic piece of Americana. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.
March 25, 2022
K-Gr 2-A captured baby elephant is trained as a circus attraction and then after many years of service taken to a preserve. Sadly, this controversial subject, despite the gentle presentation, is further complicated by Yolen's use of text. Almost every page supplies a nonword to explain what Helquist's illustrations so clearly depict. These words begin with "ELE," or "ELEPH" in all caps, so a baby elephant trapped in a camouflaged net because of hunger is "ELEPH-ATE." The art shows the baby bound, flown, fattened, and the text is "ELEPH-BOUND," ELEPH-FLOWN," "ELEPH-FATTENED." and so on. It's confusing and pointless; this unsuccessful word game was inspired by the life of David Balding, a wealthy man, who, in the 1980s, wanted a pet elephant and performed with her until he didn't. VERDICT A nonfiction treatment of Balding's story sounds compelling, but this version is not.-Nancy Call
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 15, 2022
Preschool-Grade 1 It's a terrible day for baby elephant Flora, who wanders off from the herd, gets tangled in a trap, hauled onto an airplane, and spirited across the sea to join a traveling circus. Things look bleak until a magician strolls by the tethered calf and takes pity on her, raising Flora into adulthood with lots of loving attention and play. The pair develop a snazzy circus act and crisscross the country for years. When the magician realizes that it's time to let the aging elephant retire, he sees Flora off to a peaceful sanctuary with plenty of other pachyderms for company. The unusual text is made up of single rhyming words, each one featuring an ele prefix, elegantly summing up the action on each page: "ele-washed / ele-weighed / ele-painted / ele-sprayed." The charming gouache illustrations are packed with expression and detailed insets, and their combination with the circus-font text gives the proceedings a delightfully old-fashioned feel. Young readers will revel in the colorful carnival atmosphere and tender interspecies friendship.
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May 15, 2022
A look into a bygone era of the circus through the life of an elephant. Told mostly through the art, this tale follows a young elephant who is unceremoniously taken from their home and sold to the circus. They forge an unlikely friendship with a magician, who finds a way to put things right. Each page has one word that begins with ele--"ELEPHANT": the young animal with their parent. "ELEPH-ATE": The elephant is lured into a trap by bananas. "ELE-FATE": the elephant is ensnared. The story does not shy away from the harsher aspects, such as the terror of the kidnapping, but readers also see the elephant's joy as they befriend the magician and love and trust grow. The words are written in a beautiful script that evokes circus signs, and the text flows well when read aloud, though at times some of the invented words feel a bit clunky. The images are the stars of the show; rendered in gouache, they fill the pages, depicting both the drama of the circus acts and quieter moments as the elephant longs to return to their past life. The magician is light-skinned; circus performers and attendees are diverse. In an author's note, Yolen describes the true story that inspired this book--in 1982, Broadway producer David Balding bought an orphaned baby elephant from Zimbabwe and created a circus for her. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A simple tale that will have readers cheering. (Picture book. 4-7)
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