Carnival of the Animals [Paperback]

John Lithgow (Author), Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)

Book Description

But oh! what a fabulous night he had had,

When his world was turned into a zoo!

After wandering off from a school field trip, a young boy falls asleep in the Natural History Museum. There he sees his classmates, teachers, and family transformed into a menagerie of animals, from wild hyenas to stately peacocks.

John Lithgow's exhilarating word play, inspired by Camille Saint-SaËns's 1886 composition, provides a narrative arc to the piece for the first time. Lithgow created the text for the New York City Ballet, where the Carnival of the Animals ballet, with his narration, debuted in 2003. Boris Kulikov's witty artistic interpretation of the story adds to the fun.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Lithgow is the New York Times bestselling author of I Got Two Dogs, Mahalia Mouse Goes to College, Marsupial Sue Presents: The Runaway Pancake, I'm A Manatee, Micawber, Marsupial Sue, The Remarkable Farkle McBride, and Carnival of the Animals. An award-winning actor, he has starred on stage, film, and television. He performs concerts across the country, and has recorded the CDs Farkle and Friends, Singin' in the Bathtub and The Sunny Side of the Street. Visit John at lithgowforkids.com.

Boris Kulikov, a former set and costume designer in St. Petersburg, Russia, was chosen as a Flying Start by Publishers Weekly. He has also illustrated Morris the Artist by Lore Segal, The Perfect Friend by Yelena Romanova, and Carnival of Animals by John Lithgow. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689873433
• ISBN-13: 978-0689873430
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 10.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > Humorous
  • #100 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Ages 4-8 > Picture Books

More About the Author

Writing a children's book was not something that I pursued. It pursued me. It started when I was asked to write a narration for a symphony for kids. I realized that it had the text for a book. From that text "The Remarkable Farkle McBride" was born. And once the first book was successful, others followed.

My sixth (!) children's book, "Marsupial Sue Presents the Runaway Pancake," was just published this fall. This is a sequel to "Marsupial Sue," one of my most popular storybook characters.This story was inspired in part by two different things: The "Runaway Pancake" song is a guaranteed show stopper whenever I sing it in one of my Paloozicals Concert for Kids , and my performing on Broadway this year in "Dirty Rotton Scoundrels" made me think that Sue might like to put on a show of her own with all of her animal friends.

I credit my parents for fostering my love of literature and books. I have fond memories of my father reading chapters aloud from great thick books like "The Jungle Book" and "A Teller of Tales".

I have carried on my father's tradition by reading aloud to my own kids when they were little. I have also started a few traditions of my own, like singing to them and playing really mediocre guitar, building castles with them out of refrigerator boxes and treasure hunts across museums. Once I even created a very elaborate paper chase across the entire campus of UCLA for my daughter Phoebe's 16th Birthday. Some of these games were inspiration for all of the Lithgow Palooza books and books with kits that have been published by both Simon and Schuster and Running Press.

Although writing is an arduous process for me, there is nothing better than seeing a child falling in love with one of my stories.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars book, February 7, 2009

By 

Dariel Hendon (Mo) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Carnival of the Animals (Paperback)

The art work was interesting but the plot of the story was hard to follow.

4.0 out of 5 stars adorable book, October 2, 2008

By 

Cathy Gamas "tink" (Minot, ND United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Carnival of the Animals (Paperback)

This book has rollicking lyrics and fun pictures to introduce a classical score to children. It is fun to read (and even better to hear).